The Grand Prize: Touya
by C.DeVana
Summary: CardCaptor Sakura X Sailormoon...What happens when Mamoru is gone missing for a year and Usagi meets Touya? How will she deal with Nakuru who has a crush on Touya too? R&R please. Chapter 17 is Up!
1. Chapter 1: The Meeting

Disclaimer: Even though I wish I could own, none of the Card Captor Sakura characters or Sailor moon characters belong to me. So, don't you dare sue me ^-^  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It was a beautiful evening. Not a single cloud in that vast blue sky. The birds were singing happily from the trees in the park. Children were playing with their friends. The adults were enjoying watching their kids play. The atmosphere was just perfect in the park for that late spring evening.  
  
She walked past the little playground leaving the chattering of the kids and the adults behind. A little further into the park, the scenery grew more beautiful, almost breathtaking. The sunlight passed through the almost transparent young green leaflets. The blossoms in the trees looked pretty in their bright colors – pink, white, yellow. The park was just colorful that evening. The gentle breeze carried with it the sweet smell of the young blossoms and a few fresh blooms.  
  
She lifted her face towards the breeze with a sigh smelling the air and catching a blossom in her hand. The wind passed through her long golden strands and she twirled the cherry blossom in her hand with a smile unaware of what a pretty sight she was in that school uniform and flowers in her hair.  
  
Smiling to herself she walked slowly along the path, watching couple kissing each other and hugging each other. Oh but she couldn't enjoy the evening with her boyfriend like them all, could she? Oh no. How can she when she had to show the test paper to her mom. 'Another F! What will mom say now? How long will I be grounded this time?' her thoughts ran wild as she ran her pretty blue eyes over the paper she held in her other hand.  
  
Her eyes focused back on the park, determined to enjoy her walk before facing her mom. She smiled as a young couple held hands together as they walked past her. They were both blushing and she almost giggled at their sight. They weren't talking much, but their eyes talked for them. Oh their eyes were so expressive. She sighed as the green eyed kid blushed and stared into girl's brown eyes trying to come up with something to say. They said so many things to each other just with their eyes.  
  
'Maybe that's why they say 'windows are the eyes of the soul' or…is it the other way?' she thought with a frown. Shrugging she couldn't resist looking back at her paper. She moaned a little saying, "That's it. There is no way I'm going to show this paper to mom tonight. I'll just toss it in the garbage making up something to tell mom." She crumpled the paper in her hand when she heard a grumble behind her.  
  
"Why that Syaoran kid!! Didn't I tell him to keep away from my sister before?" she heard an irritated male voice.  
  
She then heard a laugh from someone else. But she didn't turn around to look at the people who were now almost behind her.  
  
A second later she noticed that the green eyed kid was looking behind her and with a quick kiss to the girl's cheek he took off saying, "See you in class tomorrow Sakura."  
  
"Okay," the girl called Sakura waved a hand to green eyed kid as he made his way to the other end of the park, still both of them blushing.  
  
"Over protective brothers," she smiled to herself and threw the crumpled paper behind her and started to walk again.  
  
"Watch it meatball head!" called out that irritated male voice from behind her.  
  
That stopped her in her tracks. Nobody had called her that in over a year now. And only her boyfriend used to call her that most of the time. How dare this guy call her meatball head!!  
  
  
  
She heard the rustling sound of a paper and a moment she heard the voice again, "F? Now that's gotta hurt. But maybe not as much as my head hurts from being hit like that."  
  
  
  
"That does it," she turned around angrily and snatched the paper from the guy. "First you are rude by looking at other people's papers and then you decide to be sarcastic and lastly I'm not meatball head. My name is Usagi. Not meatball head."   
  
  
  
She remembered such a scene being played out before. She also remembered how the guy turned out to be her dear Mamoru.  
  
The guy's voice brought her back to the present from her memories and she blinked to see that the guy had bent down and was now face to face with her. "I wouldn't have looked into that if you hadn't thrown in at me. Since I didn't know your name I didn't know what else to call you. Meatball head seemed perfect with those pigtails you're wearing"  
  
"Oh you can be so irritating. Oh no, you are irritating," she decided then and there and turned around barely glancing at the white haired kid standing there with an amused smile.  
  
As Usagi walked away, practically ran away, from them with her paper in one hand and the blossom in the other hand the white haired guy chuckled and asked the irritated brown haired guy adjusting his glasses, "What was that all about?"  
  
Before the brown haired guy could answer they heard a singsong voice calling out loud and saw a reddish brown haired girl in school uniform running towards them, waving her arms, "Oh…TOUYA-KUN!!! Wait for me. I'm coming,"  
  
The brown haired guy, called Touya, groaned loudly, "How does she always find me?"  
  
"Beats me," the white haired guy chuckled as the girl latched herself onto Touya's back.  
  
"Akizuki," Touya greeted her dryly, having no choice but to support her on his back, "What a nice surprise!"  
  
"Its Nakuru. Na-Ku-Ru. Anyway I was wondering if you were doing something this evening. If you aren't then maybe we can hang out?" the girl smiled sweetly at him.  
  
"I've to get to work this evening," he answered.  
  
"I am sure he doesn't need two girls having their names spelled out for him," the white haired guy mumbled looking at Touya with a smile.  
  
"Well, in that case I guess I'll leave you for this evening," Nakuru smiled and turned towards the other guy, "Oh hey Yukito. Didn't see you here."  
  
"Its ok," Yukito shrugged.  
  
Fortunately for Touya, Nakuru hadn't heard what Yukito had mumbled under his breath. The guys kept silent as they walked, more than happy to let the girl chatter and when they reached his house Touya looked at Nakuru on his back, "Well, we're at my house now. Maybe you can let go of me now."  
  
"You're at your house. That I can see…" Nakuru looked at the house and then unlatched herself from his back. "Well, then see you tomorrow in class," she turned towards Yukito, "You coming Yukito? We can walk together for a while."  
  
Yukito smiled at Nakuru and shook his head "I am going to hang out with Touya here. Do some of my homework and then head back home."  
  
"Hey that's a good idea. Maybe I can hang out and do my homework with you guys till Touya goes to his workplace," Nakuru clapped her hands together, her eyes bright with excitement.  
  
"NO…you aren't coming into my home with me and Yuki now. That's an absolute no Akizuki." Before she could protest he added, "We are working on that science project. Remember Yuki is my partner in that project. So you can't work with us tonight," Touya said firmly.  
  
"The science project. Yeah. I remember that. And I'm still wondering why you didn't pick me. I mean it would be much more fun if it was me. You know, just you and me in your room. But you picked Yukito here. I don't understand how you can stay up in your room till you finish that project," Nakuru shook her head.  
  
"Well, don't concern yourself with that. Yuki and I can stand each other. And we are enjoying being left alone in my room with the project," a smirk crossed Touya's face as he imagined the sweet tension that always exists whenever Yuki was around in his room. "So Akizuki, see you in class tomorrow." With a nod Yuki and Touya walked the house and closed the door.  
  
Nakuru stood there on the street until the door was closed and with a sigh headed towards Eriol's mansion. "Oh how I love you Touya. Why don't you recognize my love? What else am I supposed to do to get your attention?" she muttered with another sigh as the mansion came into her view.  
  
Closing the door Touya and Yukito walked to the kitchen where Sakura was brewing tea. She smiled at Yukito and poured the tea into two cups and set them in front of Touya and Yukito along with some teacakes. Yukito smiled and thanking consumed his tea with relish. Touya nodded his head and sipping his tea he pointed out to a yellow stuffed animal and asked Sakura, "What is your stuffed animal doing here? And what are cake crumbs doing on its mouth?"  
  
Sakura smiled with a sweatdrop and grabbed the stuffed animal, "Well, I brought it down with me so that…it would keep me…company while I was making your tea." She said hurriedly wiping off the crumbs.  
  
Touya narrowed his eyes with suspicion, but with a shrug he sat back and looked at Sakura, "What were you doing at the park with that Syaoran kid?"  
  
"Oh! Well it was nothing really. Li and I, we were…umm…just walking home…together," Sakura smiled again and stood up ready to leave.  
  
"When did you get home? Without me noticing you?" Touya continued with his questioning.  
  
"Well, I came home while you were arguing with that blond haired girl at the park," she said and before Touya could make any other comment she continued, "By the way, we've new neighbors. They moved here today from the other side of Tokyo. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino are nice people. I talked to them a while ago. Found out that they have a son almost my age and a daughter who is in junior high. Couldn't meet them though. Maybe we'll meet them soon. Now I gotta go do my homework. Maybe I'll call Tomoyo and see if what she is doing. See you later Yukito." With that Sakura ran upstairs to her room and shut her door.  
  
Touya just sipped his remaining tea as Sakura ran up to her room. Then looked at Yukito who was happily enjoying the last of the teacakes and shaking his head he cleaned up the table. "Come on lets go up and see what we can do with that project," he urged Yukito.  
  
Yukito smiled following Touya to his room and dumped his book bag on the floor. Sitting on the bed he watched Touya drop his book bag on the floor and close the room door.  
  
As soon as Touya closed the door, he was aware of the tension that was building up in the room. 'Why is it so hot in here all of a sudden?' he thought and opening the window he looked back at Yukito. The open window did nothing to cool the temperature that was rising in the room. With a shrug he brought out the project and they began working on it, the tension never leaving the room  
  
  
  
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Now if you would please review this chapter, I'd be very happy. I'd like to know what you thought of the first chapter. Worth continuing? Did any of the characters go off track? I'll be waiting for the reviews before I start writing the next chapter ^-^ 


	2. Chapter 2: Arcade and Dinner

A/N: I'm glad you think this is worth reading Naoko and everyone else who is reading this fic. ^-^  
  
Malyssa, thank you for reminding me about Sakura's eyes. I got confused with Li and Sakura's eye color. Li has brown eyes and Sakura has green eyes. ^-^  
  
Kaoru, I love Touya and Yue too. ^-^  
  
  
  
  
  
1.1 Chapter 2  
  
Three hours later Touya was at the new arcade fixing some problem with a machine. Once the machine was fixed he moved back to the counter and took up his position. From his position at the back of the counter, he studied the arcade and nodded to himself with satisfaction to see that everything was in order. He was serving milk shakes to a teenaged couple when the door opened and none other than Nakuru stepped into the arcade.  
  
"Great! I don't even have some peace at my workplace," he muttered to himself as Nakuru waved to him with a bright smile and walked over to him. He was thankful for the counter between them, which prevented Nakuru from clinging to him, but his relief wasn't expressed on his face.  
  
"Didn't know you worked here Touya-kun," Nakuru smiled catching his hand in hers and holding a tight grip on it. "So, this is your new part- time job? Seems like a nice place. I could come here regularly and hang around. And maybe when its time to close the arcade, you could walk me home," she giggled at the thought.  
  
As Nakuru continued talking to him, the door opened again and the blond haired girl walked in. 'what did she call herself? Usagi…right…but I don't remember she saying her last name. I just hope she goes along her business without interfering in mine,' Touya thought as the girl smiled to herself and walked over to a sailor v video game machine.  
  
Turning his attention back Nakuru, he tried to extract his hand from her grip, but failed at his attempt, "Akizuki. Nice to see you too," he said with sarcasm. "So, what were you saying again?"  
  
"Nakuru," she said and pouted a little, "I can't believe this. Here I was suggesting things we could do this weekend and you weren't paying attention to what I was saying."  
  
"Weekend? I'm sorry. I'm busy this weekend"  
  
"But…that's what you said previous weekend, and the one before that one"  
  
"Well, I'm meeting Yuki at his place and we are spending time together, you know just us guys," he said hoping she would buy it.  
  
Nakuru shrugged, but disappointment showed clearly in her face, "Well, alright. I guess I'll just have to cancel all the plans I made for this weekend with you. I'll just call a couple of friends over and hang out with them."  
  
Touya felt relieved that he would be able to spend some time without Nakuru hanging around his shoulders. 'But her easy acceptance didn't quite sound right to him. She wouldn't give up persuading him so easily. She might be up to something. I might as well keep an eye on her the rest of the week,' he thought with a frown.  
  
"So, what can I get for you?" Touya asked Nakuru not trying to hide his irritation at her.  
  
"You…" Nakuru said pausing dramatically and giggled at Touya's expression, "…can get me a soda."  
  
Touya tried to delay getting her soda as long as possible, just so he could stay away from her, but unfortunately he couldn't delay for long. He set the soda in front of her and glanced towards the video game machines. The meatball head was so engrossed in her game one moment and the next moment she was yelling at the machine.  
  
Nakuru glanced in her direction and smirk touched her face. "Looks like she just lost a game…" then turning to Touya she leaned forward towards him, "What game do you recommend here?"  
  
"Try the Sailor V game…it's the best I know…" came a reply from behind Nakuru. Nakuru felt the vibes before she heard the voice. She frowned at it and with a shrug she turned around, annoyed that someone else answered her question and not Touya, saw the blond haired meatball head smiling at her. Even though she was annoyed at the girl, she couldn't help but smile back at her. The girl's smile was so contagious.  
  
"I'll try that out then…" Nakuru said nodding her head.  
  
Usagi smiled and settled in a seat next to her. She hadn't noticed Touya yet and asked Nakuru, "This here your boyfriend?"  
  
Before Nakuru could answer that question, Touya said with yet more irritation, "I'm not her boyfriend meatball head…"  
  
"But he will be…soon…" Nakuru added.  
  
Usagi turned towards Touya glaring at him, "You?! Hn…I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't anybody's boyfriend with your attitude…and it's Usagi not meatball head…" she said.  
  
"Whatever, what can I get you?" Touya asked trying to control his irritation. It wasn't any good losing his cool now.  
  
Usagi was so involved in her argument with him that afternoon after school to take notice of him. But now that they weren't arguing so badly, she smiled to herself and 'examined' him from head to toe. 'Cute…definitely worth a try…besides he did say this girl isn't his girlfriend. But I bet I could compete with her,' she decided, her smile getting wider.  
  
"You…" Usagi said giving soft, but audible sigh and almost chuckled at his expression before continuing, "…can get me a strawberry milkshake and make that extra large."  
  
Nakuru's smile vanished the moment Usagi said that and she watched her carefully. Her eye twitched when she noticed that Usagi was taking in every little detail about Touya, about HER Touya!! This isn't good. She wasn't going to give up on Touya just because the girl happens to have blond hair and blue eyes. 'Tough luck missy. He is mine…all mine. I've put all my efforts in trying to have him notice me without any luck so far. I definitely don't need a competitor now…' she thought angrily, crushing the soda glass in her hand, well…almost crushing the glass.  
  
Usagi looked up at Nakuru, still smiling, but her smile faded away when she saw Nakuru's expression. Before she could ask Nakuru, Touya set the extra large milkshake in front of Usagi.  
  
"Thank you," Usagi smiled flirtatiously and leaned forward a little drinking up her milkshake.  
  
Touya noticed Nakuru's expression and thought 'Maybe she will give up on me now'  
  
But before his thought was even complete, Usagi slurped the remains of the milkshake and paid for her drink.  
  
"I'll be seeing you around then," she said softly, 'pretty boy' she added to herself and walked towards the exit.  
  
"Oh no you don't," muttered Nakuru under her breath and paying for soda she took off after Usagi.  
  
'Why me?! Now I've to deal with two girls!!!' he sighed inwardly, but appeared more irritated and annoyed than ever.  
  
Catching up Usagi Nakuru faced her, "You stay away from MY Touya. Understand? He is mine, so don't get any ideas about him," she said, her face red with anger.  
  
Usagi frowned at her and shook her head, "But he said you were not his girlfriend. So I thought it won't be any harm in trying out," she said and smirked, "But I can't change my mind even though you've practically declared that he is yours. I bet I can get a date with him before you do."  
  
"In your dreams kiddo. He is mine and will always remain mine. No other girl can ever date him. But we'll see who gets a date with him first," Nakuru said heatedly, "Whoever gets to date him first, will have him. The other person will never interfere with Touya and his girlfriend afterwards…"  
  
"Deal…" Usagi nodded her head, "And I know I'll date him first…" she smiled and walked away to a donut store, picking up the vibes from Nakuru. Her first thought was the negaverse; her second thought was that this new girl sounded more like her dear friend Rei. Shaking her head she proceeded to order her donuts.  
  
Nakuru walked back to the arcade, still mad and annoyed at how the conversation ended. 'Now what. I was telling myself earlier that I didn't need a competitor and now I've a rival!! I definitely have to be careful dealing with that girl. I did pick up those vibes from her. But I can't say if they are good or bad' she thought entering the arcade. Putting up her smiling face again she called out, "Touya-kun…I'm back…"  
  
*****  
  
After that long hard day, Touya definitely deserved some food and a good night's sleep. Nakuru had stayed with him almost till closing him. He was afraid she would walk home with him. But fortunately Eriol had come by just at the closing time and persuaded Nakuru to walk home with him.  
  
Touya opened the door to a silent house. With a frown on his face she walked into the kitchen and found a note stuck to the refrigerator which said, 'Dinner at the Tsukino's residence. Our new neighbors. Come over to their place when you're back from work.'  
  
He was going to skip the dinner, but a loud growl from his stomach made him re-consider his thoughts. 'There won't be any harm in getting to know the Tsukino's. Maybe they'll come in handy if we need them.' With that he shrugged and walked to their new neighbor's place.  
  
  
  
When the doorbell rang, Usagi was relieved for the interruption. Her parents were busy talking with Mr. Kinomoto. Her brother was busy talking Sakura. She was pretty bored with their conversations. She had even set the table for dinner without being clumsy for once listening to their conversations half-heartedly. She now knew that Sakura had an older brother, and that her mother had passed away. Only she didn't know that Sakura's older brother was Touya when she yelled, "I'll get it" and ran to the door to open it.  
  
Touya almost moaned when the door opened to reveal none other than that irritating meatball head. "You…are one of the Tsukinos?" he asked stepping inside annoyed.  
  
"Of course. Didn't you know that? Oh but how will you know that. I never told you my last name," she grinned, "So you are Sakura's older brother?"  
  
Closing the door behind her, she led him to the living room where the two families were engrossed in their conversations.  
  
"Yes. I'm Sakura's older brother," he said and turned towards Usagi's parents to introduce himself.  
  
'Which is much better. This will just make it all easier for me,' Usagi thought smugly watching him.  
  
After the introductions and a small talk, the two families headed towards the dining room.  
  
Touya was surprised to see how much Usagi ate. Sakura was giggling saying, "Your appetite matches Yukito's. I never thought I'd see someone eat as much as Yuki-san does. But I guess I was wrong."  
  
"Who is Yukito?" Usagi asked pausing her eating a while.  
  
"A friend of mine. The one who was at the park with me this afternoon," Touya answered her finishing his meal.  
  
Once their dinner was over, the families bade their good nights and the Kinomotos returned to their place.  
  
"Weren't they such nice people?" Sakura asked with a smile on her face.  
  
"They were," Fujitaka answered Sakura with a smile of his own.  
  
'Except for their daughter,' Touya thought bitterly. 'Why did it have to be her!! Now I don't know how I'll get rid of two annoying girls'  
  
"I've to wake up early tomorrow, I'll go to bed now," saying her good nights to Touya and her father Sakura headed towards her bedroom, pudding in one hand.  
  
"Well, I'll go to bed too. Had a long day," Touya muttered and went to his own room for the rest of the night.  
  
  
  
A/N: Once again, I'd love the reviews and your opinions on this chapter and story so far. Again, tell me if the characters went off track. I'll write the next chapter and upload it as soon as I see more reviews. ^-^ And I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. 


	3. Chapter 3:Just the guys or so they think

A/N: First I'd like to say sorry for keeping you all waiting. Had a writer's block and then I began to procrastinate. Well.I'm back now.  
  
Aeris, thank you for reminding me that Usagi doesn't make the first move. But I suppose she is a little out of the ordinary here. You will come to know why in the next chapter or so. And I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to bring Hotaru into this fic. I'm just using Mamoru and Usagi.  
  
MYST LADY, I would have put up the story under sailor moon crossovers, but I can't do that coz I'm just using two characters from sailor moon.  
  
Again sorry for this long wait, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.  
  
  
  
The rest of the week passed just the same for Touya. Nakuru had been hanging around him for longer and longer. Usagi didn't leave him in peace either. She seem to have picked Touya's right side as her permanent spot, which was kind of irritating for him.  
  
The other day she came out of nowhere and clinging to Touya's right arm she asked, "Would you mind showing me around the school and this part of the city? After all I'm new to this place and all." She didn't even seem to care that she was just a freshman in school and he was a senior (A/N: I'm just guessing this.I'm not entirely sure though)  
  
He had tried to politely dislodge herself, which wasn't possible. She might look fragile but she had an iron grip. Giving up on it and letting her cling he had replied, "No. I'm busy. Find someone else to show you around."  
  
Of course that didn't make her let go of him, and he hadn't, somehow, expected her to release his hand from her grip. Before he could continue the school bell rang and they both went in separate direction.  
  
But as soon as the school was over Nakuru was on his back demanding answers to her questions. "Touya-kun, who was that blond haired girl I saw you with this morning. Wasn't she the girl from the arcade? What was she doing here? And why was she holding you like that?"  
  
"Akizuki, how nice to see you again! She was the girl from the arcade and her family moved here and she was asking me to show her around." Touya had replied calmly keeping his irritation out of his voice.  
  
"Oh! So, it was the girl from the arcade. But of course, you refused to show her around.right? And it's Nakuru for you."  
  
"My answer to her has nothing to do with you," Touya told her calmly as they reached his house. Thankful that Nakuru had unlatched herself from his back he turned to Yuki, who had remained silent till now, letting Nakuru fire her questions at Touya. "Come on in Yuki. I'm sure Sakura will have made something for us and then we can give project the final touch." With that Touya nodded to Nakuru and headed to the house. With a goodbye Yuki had followed him inside.  
  
The guys' never realizing what was brewing in Nakuru's little mind.  
  
***  
  
Now Touya was sitting in his kitchen with Yuki in front of him and thinking about how the week had been for him.  
  
"So are you going to tell me in detail what's going on here and not be sketchy about it?" Yuki's voice brought Touya back to the present. Yuki was just finishing a rice ball with relish when he asked that question.  
  
"Yeah. I suppose it's about time you know what's been happening here lately. Remember that meatball head from the park?" Touya inquired. When Yuki nodded he continued, "She is new around here. In fact her family is our new neighbors. She had been all mad at me after that park incident. I had hoped we wouldn't meet again. But she came to the arcade the same day. By the time she left the arcade she didn't seem mad, instead the look she had was more like that of Akizuki's. And to make matters worse, we were invited for dinner at their house that night. I don't know what I did or didn't do, but now she is hanging around my arm, literally. And even though Akizuki and Tsukino, that's her name, have met before they act like they don't know each other and badger me with questions about the other person when she isn't around," Touya finished saying this and drank from his cup with an inward sigh.  
  
Yukito thought about what Touya had said and after a while he chuckled softly, "Maybe girls just love your personality--"  
  
Before he could finish what he had started saying, they heard the knock on the door.  
  
"Now who could that be? Dad won't be home till dinner, Sakura is at her friends' place and I even told Akizuki that I will be at your place spending some guy-time," Touya muttered as he opened the door.  
  
He didn't know whom he was expecting to see at the door, but he was definitely not expecting to see Usagi standing there with a huge smile on her face.  
  
A/N: Small chapter, I know, but.just like always, I'd love your reviews. The sooner you guys review the sooner I'll write the next chapter. I know I know, that's what I said in the previous chapter, but I promise this time that I'll put up the next chapter once I read the reviews from my regular readers. ^-^ Everyone who read this so far, I hope you had a good time. 


	4. Chapter 4: What happened?

A/N: I would like to clear up the confusion in the timelines. I haven't watched the Star series or the entire Sakura Card series. Usagi is around the age 15 or 16. And Sakura and the others are in their early teenage. Touya is around 17 or 18 and so are Yukito and Nakuru. As for Usagi leaving her previous home will be explained in the later chapters. The senshi aren't coming to meet Usagi at her new home and the reason will be revealed in later chapters as well. Well, if you guys still have any doubts or still confused about the timelines and stuff, don't forget to tell me that in your reviews. ^_^.for now, enjoy the story.  
  
  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Hey Touya.I was told by my mom that you are alone. So, I thought I should give you some company. After all, what are neighbors for.right?" Usagi smiled brightly and walked into the house. "Are those rice balls I smell?" she asked and following her nose walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Tsukino. How nice of you to come by. Please come into the house," he said dryly long after she had settled herself in the kitchen. "What exactly happened a moment ago here?" he questioned himself closing the door and walking into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. Usagi was helping herself to the rice balls and tea. The way Yuki and Usagi were stuffing their mouths, it looked more like an eating contest. "Yuki, meet Usagi Tsukino I was telling you about. Tsukino, this is Yukito, my classmate and a close friend."  
  
"You were telling your friend about me? Oh that's so nice," her eyes instantly took on a dreamy mode as she leaned towards Touya. After a few minutes of her daydreaming she turned to Yuki beaming a smile at him and stuffing the last rice ball, "Nice to meet you Yukito. Can I call you Yuki?"  
  
"Nice to meet you too Usagi," Yuki smiled at her extending his arm for a handshake.  
  
The moment their hands met, Yuki froze as well as Usagi. A frown crossed Usagi's face and she grabbed her hand immediately. To keep her occupied she cleared the plates from the dining table and dumped them in the sink and turned on the water. The exchange hadn't gone unnoticed by Touya. He was wondering what it could've meant. He had felt a spark himself when he met Usagi and shook her hand. In fact, he felt that spark every time Nakuru latched herself to his back and now every time Usagi made physical contact with him. Something about the girl didn't quite seem proper to him. Shaking his head he decided it wasn't his business anyway. At least not right away. He might try to dig up a few things about her past just to make sure she wasn't evil and come there to harm Yuki or his little sister.  
  
Once her nerves were settled, she sat at the table again, "So, what are your plans for the day? If you don't have any plans at all, we could hang out together." "Tsukino, don't you have anything better and more interesting to do than hang out with a couple of guys?" Touya asked standing up and walking out into the living room. "What's more fun than spend a Saturday with a couple of great looking guys?" following Touya closely. Yukito grinned which did not help Touya in anyway.  
  
An hour passed and Usagi didn't seem to show any signs of leaving the guys alone. And the four walls of the house seemed too small a place for Touya to handle Usagi. "How about we go out for a while? A walk might be good. I'm sure everybody here can use some fresh air." Touya said finally after that long hour of listening to Usagi chatter about comics.  
  
"And while we're out, we can grab something to eat, you know a snack." Usagi suggested, excited about going out for a walk with him, even though she knew that they wouldn't be alone. "You know, Usagi is right. We could use a little snack after a walk," Yuki said walking out the door. "Well, fine. A snack too then," Touya mumbled following Yuki out and locking the door when Usagi stepped out.  
  
They hadn't been out for long, when the bright sunny weather turned gloomy with dark and heavy clouds. Thunder roared and lightning cracked in the sky. Usagi let out a squeal and hugged Touya's arm tight. "I hate thunder and lightning. Especially when it comes with a storm," she whispered softly her grip on his arm tightening as the next thunder roared above them.  
  
"There is an ice cream parlor up ahead. Its just a few more minute walk. Why don't we go in there for now?" Touya suggested. "Okay by me," Yuki nodded. Usagi just nodded her agreement.  
  
They had taken a couple more steps when Usagi froze. "I know you hate this. I know what else makes you afraid," a voice whispered. The air seemed to have gone heavy carrying the whispering voice. "I'll have you with me soon. Soon Princess.very soon." "What the heck was that?" Touya frowned. The other pedestrians didn't seem to hear anything. But Yuki was frowning as well. Only now it wasn't Yuki but Yue standing with them.  
  
"Trouble is headed this way," Yue announced a moment before vines shot out of the ground wrapping themselves around Usagi. She couldn't move her arms or legs. The vines held her motionless and her struggle to free herself didn't work.  
  
"What the hell is happening here?" Touya demanded. "Trouble. Trouble for the princess," Yue replied staring at Usagi.  
  
Not more than a few moments passed before Sakura came along to the spot with Li and Tomoyo, a camera in her hand. "The card escaped. I don't know how that happened, but it just did." She said and tried to seal it off, but her magic alone didn't seem to work on the vine card now. But Yue managed to control the card long enough for Sakura to seal off the card.  
  
As the vines grip loosened on Usagi, she slumped to the ground unconsciously. Touya hurried to catch her before she hit the ground. "It won't be that easy the next time," the voice whispered again. Touya frowned, as did the others. The clouds cleared away and the sun began to shine again as Yuki slumped down to the ground tired and unconscious. Sakura, Li and Tomoyo hurried to Yuki trying to revive him to consciousness. The soft music, the moonlight, the right guy beside her, she could feel them all. She sighed softly and turned to face her Prince Charming, only to see her Prince Charming sneering at her and making fun of what a klutz she was. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she backed away from her Prince Charming. Shaking her head she turned around and began running away from him. To her despair he was always behind her, following her ever so closely. "No.no." she yelled out loudly. Then her world was shaking violently. Her world? Wait, that wasn't her world shaking. Someone was shaking her.  
  
She fluttered her eyes open gently and the first face she saw was Touya's. She breathed in a sigh of relief and then looked at the others. She felt good to be in Touya's arms, but it is embarrassing to be his arms when there were so many other faces looming over her. Blushing heavily, she sat up straight and looked with confusion at the faces peering at her.  
  
Sakura smiled sweetly at Usagi, "We were all worried about you there. Are you alright?" "Yes. Thank you. I'm fine now. Last thing I remember is being wrapped up in vine-like thingy. What happened to them?" she looked around to make sure there weren't anymore left. Sakura looked at Li and the others. "Don't worry about that. Nothing's here now. I want you to meet a few friends of mine. This is Li and this is Tomoyo." Usagi smiled at Li and Tomoyo, "Nice to meet you guys," she said glancing at Tomoyo and Li and then looked up at another face. Nakuru! Feeling smug Usagi moved closer to Touya, smirking at Nakuru.  
  
"Since everything is ok now, why don't you kids go ahead," Yuki said. With a shrug and a wave Sakura and her gang walked away, unaware of the very confused and frustrated Keroberos waiting for them back at Li's place.  
  
Once they were out of ear shot Nakuru looked accusingly at Touya, "I thought you said you were going to Yuki's place to spend some time away from girls."  
  
"That's what I thought we were doing today, until Tsukino showed up at our place," Touya said standing. Usagi followed his movement and hugged his arm. "I went to Yuki's place and his grandmother said that he wasn't there," Nakuru glared at Usagi and the hold she had on his arm. "We thought we could spend some time at Touya's place since he had the house to himself," Yuki offered with a smile. "So, if you were spending time away from girls, why are you here with Usagi?" Nakuru demanded with a pout.  
  
"I already told you. She showed up at our house. Since she is our neighbor, there isn't much she doesn't know on what's happening at our house," Touya shrugged and began walking out of the park, where he had carried unconscious Usagi. Usagi smirked and made a face at Nakuru on Touya's back. Yuki chuckled to himself when he caught a glimpse of Nakuru and Usagi making faces at each other on Touya's back.  
  
"I'm hungry from all that 'excitement'. So how about we go to that ice cream parlor now and have ice creams?" Usagi smiled with a sweatdrop as her stomach growled.  
  
Yuki laughed, "Guess I've met my equal when it comes to eating. Lets go have that ice cream," Yuki added in smiling at Touya. A smile that Touya couldn't resist saying no to.  
  
"Fine. Lets go have that ice cream," Touya agreed. "Don't I get to say anything about it?" Nakuru demanded. "Majority wins," Usagi said, "Since we've got three against one, we are going to that ice cream parlor for that ice cream. You are of course welcome either to join us or leave." Nakuru gritted her teeth and followed them to the ice cream parlor.  
  
When they all went their separate ways some 3 hours later, everyone had different thoughts in their minds. Touya and Usagi were thinking about what the whispering voice had meant by that and who that could be. Yuki transformed to Yue to think about certain things that his master Clow Reed had revealed to him a long time ago. Sakura and Li thinking about what Keroberos had told them.  
  
'We've some talking to do with Yue soon. I'd like to get a clear picture of why things are happening as they are happening,' Sakura thought as she closed her eyes for the night.  
  
A/N: Reviews? Would love to read what you all think about the story so far. ^_^ 


	5. Chapter 5: The tale

A/N: Sorry for leaving you guys hanging there for a very long time! I know I shouldn't be making excuses, but.first I had a writer's block and then college took over and things kinda got out of hand. But don't worry. I'm back now. I've decided to bring back the senshi, but not until later chapters. If the timelines don't match up, then we can consider this taking place in an AU. The disclaimers still stand. And.here is your fifth chapter. Enjoy people. Oh and don't hesitate to correct me if I go wrong with any of the details with the characters. ^-^.  
  
The next morning brought the gang no closer to solving this.puzzle, than they were the previous night. Usagi sat at the window staring at the sky, a sigh escaping her as she thought 'That voice.it couldn't be.I thought I had lost.but what happened? How did it happen?' A single tear rolled down her cheeks as she continued thinking all those depressing thoughts. 'I had hope to escape this.but, but.oh god! What am I supposed to do now? I can't call for help! Those vine things weren't the youma. And if they were, they are certainly a new type' Her eyes went wide as she thought of the possibility of new demons trying to invade earth, 'Oh my goodness! If these are the new types of youma, I should call the others for a meeting' her thoughts came to a halt as she shook her head 'but I can't call the others to a meeting now! How can I? After all that! If they don't discover these by themselves, then I'll deal with these youma myself! Somehow! I have to be strong this time. I am not a weakling or a crybaby like Rei always points.  
  
With her mind made up, she wiped the single tear from her cheek, and headed to the bathroom for quick shower, determined not to think about the previous evening; At least not for the time being. She was determined to make the best of her new life, determined to face her past fears and try to forget what had happened. 'Past is past.life goes on.' she thought with a sigh stepping into the shower.  
  
Sakura was at Li's place with Keroberos early the next morning. Trying to make sense of what has been happening and having an almost similar conversation like the previous night "Can it be some type of new power? New cards showing up?" she wondered looking between Li and Keroberos.  
  
The huge tigerlike creature shook his head and sat down looking at the kids, "No.this is not the power of new cards! I would know if it was."  
  
"If it is not new cards, then what is it!" murmured Li letting out a sigh of frustration. "Can someone just take control of the cards other than the master/captor?"  
  
"It is unheard of.so far. I can't yet describe how the vine card got loose. Neither can I describe why I feel this strange vibe being emitted by the cards powered by the moon. It doesn't make any sense. No such thing has happened in history before. So we have no example to follow," Keroberos sighed looking at the floor for a moment.  
  
"So, we have no idea what we're dealing with or why the moon powered cards are emitting this.strange vibe?" Sakura asked pacing the floor.  
  
"No. Not really."  
  
Li sat down brooding about this dilemma. "We have to do something about this. We can't just let the cards we captured with so much effort to just.. behave like that! Look at what that vine card did last night!" He muttered letting out another frustrated sigh, "Usagi might have been hurt by these vines! And who knows what might have happened if Yue hadn't been there to help us."  
  
"You are right. We have no way of knowing what might have happened," spoke Yue from the doorway. "Well, I guess its time to tell you what Master Clow Reed once told me." With that he walked inside and stared out the window. Knowing he had the attention of everyone present, he continued with his tale, "You already know that I guard the cards powered by the moon, in a manner of speaking. But I have no control over the other cards. To tell you all the truth, I am not entirely the sole guardian of the moon-powered cards. Long time ago, when the moon kingdom was under attack, the Queen asked help of Master Reed. No one knows about this because it was never documented, since the Queen did not want to leave a trail for the evil forces to destroy the families of those who helped her from earth. When Master Reed has sealed off his magic in the cards, part of it went to protect the moon kingdom from evil forces. Unfortunately, the kingdom was in ruins by the time Master Reed could gather his forces. It is said that he vowed to protect her descendents, should there be any, from these evil forces if they are threatened. It is also rumored that the Queen sent her offspring along with a few chosen others to this millennium to the earth. And by the looks of it, evil has once again come to invade and take over the control of this.princess."  
  
Letting the story digest, everyone sat in silence for a few moments. Finally Sakura broke the silence with her question, "But what does that have to do with Usagi-chan or the cards emitting strange vibes?"  
  
"Usagi seems to have some connection with the moon princess. I could feel it when Yuki shook her hand. As for the strange vibes and cards going out of control, I have no idea. If the cards were supposed to be used to protect the princess, then Usagi might be trying to harm this princess. If that is not the case, then someone else is trying to wield power over the cards. Someone who knows about the cards and the princess. Someone who is somehow very close to the Royal family of the moon kingdom," Yue spoke gravely, looking out the window thoughtfully.  
  
"Oh dear! This is all very strange," Sakura murmured sitting down on a chair, finally giving her legs some rest. "If Sakura is trying to harm the princess, then we should stop her. Shouldn't we?"  
  
"We should. But we don't know for sure if she is trying to harm the princess or if someone else is trying to wield power over the cards for some selfish reason," Li frowned staring at the floor. "And what about that voice. You heard that voice, didn't you Yue? That voice saying something about having the princess soon?"  
  
"This is all indeed very puzzling. If Usagi was not trying to harm, instead if she is trying help this princess hide, then maybe this person who spoke is trying seek to harm the princess. That would make sense, wouldn't it? I mean, you said you felt a strange connection when Yuki shook Usagi's hand and the vines under someone else's command tried to harm Usagi. Maybe the person thought of using Usagi to trap the princess," Sakura suggested looking from Yue to Li and Keroberos.  
  
"We did hear that strange voice," Yue agreed, nodding his head slowly. "And you might have a point Sakura. We'll have to keep a very close eye on Usagi. It is a good thing that she seems to have been quite taken by Touya. That way, either Sakura or Yuki can keep an eye on her. And I can just feel it in me; last night was just the first attack of many. You guys should try to keep the moon-powered cards under control, if you can't, then all the hell will break lose."  
  
"We'll try as hard as we can Yue," Keroberos nodded his head adding in a grave voice.  
  
"Yue.if we're to keep the cards under our control, and if we're to protect this princess from these evil forces.shouldn't we try to find out who the princess is?" Sakura ventured out with a frown.  
  
"We should indeed try to find out who the princess is. If we're lucky Usagi will slip up somewhere and clue in to us on where we can find the princess or her associates," Yue suggested looking at Sakura and Li. "You guys better watch out then," with those words, Yue disappeared and Yuki slid to the floor unconscious.  
  
"Well, I'll keep an eye on Sakura whenever I can," Sakura murmured walking over to the unconscious Yuki. With a nod Li went to fetch some water and Keroberos turned back into his tiny self, sitting by the chair as a stuffed animal.  
  
A few moments later, Yuki woke with a frown on his face wondering how he had come to Li's house, "Er.what am I doing here?"  
  
"Oh Yuki-san! You came here to tell me that Touya is looking for me," Sakura supplied and turned to Li, "I'll see you on Monday in school Li." Waving her hand to him, she grabbed Kero and smiled at Yuki, "Are you going to give me a ride home?"  
  
Having nothing better to do on a Saturday morning and just thinking about Touya's rice balls, he nodded his head, "Hop on, and hold on tight," he gave her a naïve smile as he climbed onto his bicycle.  
  
"Are those rice balls I'm smelling?" Usagi tapped on Kinomoto's door not long after she was out of her shower. Dressed in pink skirt and blouse, she looked like a kid almost the age of Sakura.  
  
Sighing Touya looked at Usagi who had made herself comfortable in his kitchen again, "How did you get in here?"  
  
"Well, the front door was open and when I knocked nobody answered. And I thought I smelled rice balls, so I simply walked in," giving a big grin to Touya, she looked at the stove, "How long before we can have them? They are making me quite hungry."  
  
"They aren't quite cooked yet. And I wasn't expecting guests for lunch!"  
  
Oblivious to his asking her to leave, she smiled blinking at him for a second, "I'll just wait until they're cooked then."  
  
Letting out groan and with a huge sweatdrop, he turned back to the stove determined to ignore the meatball head sitting in the kitchen.  
  
"Your sister seems to be a very nice kid. How come you're always so grumpy?" she asked with wonder in her voice, "I mean, you are her brother and she is such a sweet kid and on the other hand.you are.nothing like her."  
  
"Thank goodness for that," he muttered under his breath. "Just because we are siblings doesn't mean Sakura and I should be similar in nature." He moved around the kitchen setting the table for lunch, obviously adding more rice to the pot on the stove since he remembered how hard it was to get rid of Usagi if she settled and how much of an appetite she could have at a time. "If you are so determined not to leave me in peace, maybe you can make yourself useful by helping me set the table," he muttered again looking at her for a minute.  
  
"Umm.alright," Usagi smiled and started to set the dinner plates on the table. Unfortunately for her, she tripped on her own leg and fell flat on her face, the plate coming down on her head with a hard smack. Touya was immediately by her side, picking up the plate and setting it on the table and lifted Usagi into his arms, seeing that her eyes were crossed and confused. He was about to set her down on the chair when Nakuru burst in through the kitchen door.  
  
She took one look at Usagi in her Touya's arms and bit her lip hard from yelling loudly. Determined not to cry in front of Touya and make a bad impression on him, she stood her ground watching Touya and Usagi with accusing eyes.  
  
Touya stood there looking at Nakuru, rooted to the spot. He knew how she felt about him, 'almost possessive' his mind supplied. Feeling quite uncomfortable in this situation, he looked at Usagi in his arms who was coming around to her senses, no more confusion in her eyes. His eyes went wide when she smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck gently.  
  
Usagi finally seemed to register the presence of another person in the kitchen, when her arms were secured around Touya's neck. She was surprised to see Nakuru standing by the kitchen door hands on her hips and gave her a big smile.  
  
Gritting her teeth and trying to let her anger take control of her, she asked Touya with determined sweetness, "Touya-kun! What are you doing with this.Usagi person in your arms.in your kitchen?"  
  
That was how Sakura and Yuki found the three of them. They had entered the house through the backdoor and blinked several times to get a clear picture of what might be happening around in that kitchen.  
  
A/N: Well, I suppose I can safely stop there for the time being. I do hope to see a few reviews now. And since its been so very long since I saw Card Captor Sakura, I don't remember which cards are moon-powered. Perhaps you could help me with that? Suggestions, flame.anything is welcome from you guys. I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as I see a few reviews and hopefully a few suggestion on which direction the story should go.since I'm still experiencing a little of the lingering writer's block ^_^; 


	6. Chapter 6: Senshi

A/N: Hi Myst Lady, I hope I won't disappoint you or anyone with this --- mini-opera style -_-' And I have decided to use more than just 2 characters from Sailor Moon. As for the Usagi's friendship and where it leaves Naru, well, you'll just have to wait and see I guess =D.  
  
Hikuyo, I'm sorry you feel Usagi is behaving out of character, but I can't change her. I need Usagi this way for this fic. Hope you don't take offence in that.  
  
Usagi clung to Touya's neck and smiled sweetly at Nakuru, who at seemed to be waiting for the answer to her question. Ignoring everyone, his eyes set on Nakuru, Touya slowly set Usagi on her feet.  
  
"Umm, well this is unexpected." Touya muttered softly, still looking at Nakuru, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Hn. If you really want to know, I heard that you were alone and thought kindly to keep you company," Nakuru huffed and tilted her chin higher defiantly for a few seconds.  
  
Smiling Usagi picked up the plates from the floor and set them on the dining table, "Since you're already here, perhaps Touya-kun won't mind you joining us for dinner. Of course that would have ruined all the plans of our own cozy little lunch, but that's ok, after all you're his classmate and were kind enough to grace him with your company"  
  
Gritting his teeth, he cast a glare towards Yuki and Sakura who were giggling at the doorway and making no move to help him in anyway. "But that won't be possible. You see, I haven't cooked for so many people!" he tried to make some excuses.  
  
"But Touya-kun, you said earlier there was plenty!" Usagi pouted setting glasses next to the plates.  
  
Nakuru, almost growling under her breath, moved into the kitchen and began setting the table along with Usagi, "Of course Touya-kun." She rubbed her shoulders against his in an intimate gesture as if to tell everyone that he is hers, making sure Usagi saw the gesture. "You can't turn me away now! But if there isn't enough here, I'm sure we can all go out for lunch, or maybe I'll help you cook" smiling sweetly, she leaned towards Touya.  
  
Knowing there won't be any escape to it now, Touya grumbled and muttered, "Not necessary, I'm sure this will be enough for all of us."  
  
*****  
  
At the same time, at the temple in some other part of Tokyo Rei had called the girls for an emergency meeting. Once everyone was settled, Rei sat in front of the spiritual fire and began chanting softly trying to read what the flames tried to tell her. After a while, she sighed and looked at the girls, "All it tells me at the moment is that there is a new kind of danger to this planet - and to the princess. I didn't sense the presence of youma in this matter, but there is some negative force acting. I'm afraid I can't tell you all anymore than that."  
  
Makoto stood up looking around the circle, fisting her hands together, "If that is the case, we can't just sit around. We all know that Usa-chan wanted to be left alone, after all she had gone through, but if this new negative force is intent of harming the princess, we can not just stand by and do nothing to help her! I know we promised her that we'll stay out of her new life, but none of us expected her new life to be filled with danger!"  
  
Ami put a hand on Makoto's shoulder to calm her and looked at the other girls, "She is right. We can't just sit around doing nothing, but we also need to think this through and try to gather more information on this new enemy of ours."  
  
Mina just nodded her head looking around, "I'm in."  
  
*****  
  
After that little episode in Touya's kitchen, Usagi and Nakuru glared daggers at each other whenever they happened to see the other person. They tried their best to monopolize Touya's time and attention, which unfortunately for the girls wasn't much since he was almost always in his room with Yuki doing his project or studying.  
  
No more attacks were sprouted on Usagi for a while. Yue and the gang tried their best to figure out who the Moon Princess was, but to their dismay they weren't any close to finding out who she was than they were in the beginning of all this a month ago.  
  
" 'The situation around Tokyo doesn't seem to have improved any better as days have passed by. Hospital officials and medical staff all over the city have been trying to explain this weird phenomenon -- ' " Rei hit mute and looked at the other girls with a sigh.  
  
"No attacks of any kind so far from the dark side," Mina broke the silence and was interrupted by Ami.  
  
"Unless you consider this mysterious phenomenon," Ami said softly with a frown. "The reporters say there is nothing wrong with these children who went into coma. And I did a check on the condition of these kids and they seem to be breathing, but aren't responding to anything. They are being fed through the tubes and a physical therapist massages their body everyday. No tests showed any malfunction anywhere in their bodies and nobody knows whats happening to them or how to cure them."  
  
"No stranger was around these kids when they went into their coma," Makoto continued, "Nor did anything strange happen before they went into coma. Its as if they just - lost their will to do anything in their lives anymore. But that can't be true, they are kids who used to be full of life."  
  
Rei sighed picking up the story from there, "And they have a long life in front of them to enjoy." Letting anger build up inside her, her eyes turning black with anger, "Looks like the darkside's actions to me. Maybe they found a way to get to these kids without having to send out a youma. If that is the case, then how are we supposed to know when or where or who they'll attack!!!"  
  
Frowning slowly, Ami looked around the girls, "Well, all the kids who went into inexplicable coma are under the age of 10. The total count of 'victims' so far mount upto ten. Five kids went under on the full moon day and five more went down on the new moon day. No other cases of this inexplicable coma were reported anywhere in Tokyo on days when the mood was partial. The playgrounds these kids were using at the time they collapsed were different. And when you look at the map, the playgrounds lay in an almost a five-sided pentagon shape. The first attack was on the south side of the city, the second attack was on the east. If my calculations are correct, then the next attack on the kids will be on the next full moon day, which is in 3 days and if my hunch is correct the attacks should probably take place in the north side of the city." Taking a deep breath, she looked at the bewildered girls.  
  
Soaking all the information Ami just revealed, Makoto cleared her throat, "When did you come up with all that?"  
  
Giving a small smile, Ami shrugged, "I had been gathering the necessary information since our last meeting. And when the news about the coma came in, I thought it was a very big coincidence. Thought it might be a useful for something, I followed up on the news and here I am to tell you my theory."  
  
Nodding her head, Rei looked around the circle, "It is a very good theory and we'll have somewhere to start looking for. If your theory is true Ami, then we might actually be able to figure out what this growing dark power is. Can you guys feel it? Its so oppressive and cold. And its growing stronger with each passing day. If it is agreed upon, then we'll have to look around at the playgrounds in the north side of the city in 3 days."  
  
"Any word from Usagi?" Mina asked looking at Rei. Rei just sighed and shook her head sadly. "Nothing so far."  
  
*****  
At that time in some dark recesses of the city, "My lord, the preparations are coming along fine. No delays are expected. According to your orders, no other attempt on the princess has been made. We are awaiting for further instructions my lord." A grotesque voice said from the shadows.  
  
The man stood and glared at the creature in the shadows, "Very well. We'll need more of the life energy from the children. You may give my appreciation to Minami and Higashi. You can proceed according to the plans, Kita and inform Nishi to be prepared. Call for more children from the north side of the city. Any interruptions from outsiders shall not be tolerated," tossing his long hair over his shoulder, he said in a silky smooth voice laced with contempt, a smirk playing along his lips.  
  
The creature named Kita bowed to its master and retreated into deeper shadows.  
  
*****  
Sakura, Li, Kero and Yue were gathered again at Syaoran place, at that time, to discuss the latest developments. "So you are positive that the children falling under this coma are somehow connected to what happened that day a month ago?" It was Li who spoke looking from Yue to Kero.  
  
Yue nodded his head solemnly, "Yes. There doesn't seem to be any other explanation. And you can feel this oppressive force grow stronger. And it all seems to take place when the moon is at its strongest power or the weakest. I also sensed other powers in the city. Not from the dark side, but other forces that are trying to figure this dark power."  
  
Kero spoke up after that, "So, this new force might be here to help? Could it be that this new force is here to protect this princess you have told us before Yue?"  
  
Yue nodded his head looking at them calmly, "It is very likely that the forces I feel are here to help the princess. And these are not exactly new around here. They have been here for a very long time, we just weren't aware of their existence so far. Its highly likely that these are the senshi that protect the princess. If we find them, then maybe they will have some answers for us."  
  
Sakura looked at them with confused eyes, "So now we have to find this princess and the forces?"  
  
"Its more than likely, that the princess is with the senshi. And even if she is not, then I'm sure they will know where to find the princess," Yue replied and continued, "Their pattern of attack seem to go in a pentagon on playgrounds in one direction each moon cycle. They've covered south and east and if they keep going to the right, then the next attack point will be in the north side of the city. Even though nothing strange appeared when the children collapsed, its worth to look into the north side in 3 days when the moon is full. If my hunch is correct, then the senshi will be there to investigate as well."  
Li stood up folding his hands, "If that is the case, then we must go prepare to meet this - force, dark or not. Is there anything else you want to share with us before this meeting concludes?"  
  
Yue glanced towards Sakura, "You have been keeping an eye on Usagi, have you discovered if she is on our side or the dark side?"  
  
Sakura took a breath and looked at Yue and Li, "Well, she seemed to be a cheerful and bubbly girl. No attacks were made on her. Her aura seemed good because Touya hasn't felt anything bad from her. And I can't find fault in her at all, apart from the fact that she is a klutz and clumsy most of the time and likes her food very much. But for some reason, she hasn't come out to visit Touya for the past week."  
  
"Alright. Continuing keeping an eye on her." Nodding his head, Yue stood up, "Three days time then.."  
  
*****  
  
The message brought by Luna lay crumpled on her desk and Usagi was staring out the window, her mind racing with thoughts. 'What am I going to do now? Is there anything I can do at all?' She walked back to her desk and picked up the crumpled note and read its content for the umpteenth time,  
  
Usagi,  
We are not sure if you're aware of it yet or not, but Rei has seen  
some powerful dark forces trying to invade this planet. We, as a team  
can defeat this force, but without you there is no team. Please come  
back.  
Sincerely and lovingly,  
The senshi.  
That single note on a piece of paper made her wonder if she had done the right thing by leaving her past behind her. What if she had been wrong? What if the dark force invaded the planet? What then?  
  
It has been a week since she received that note. And since then, Usagi's mind had been whirling with these thoughts, unsure of what she should reply to their request.  
  
A/N: Well, that's it for chapter 6. ^_^ Hope you enjoyed it. As always I most welcome your comments and suggestions. R and R!! 


	7. Chapter 7: Flashback

A/N: SJP1. Don't worry I don't hate Mamoru. In fact I love him ^^; as for who goes out with Usagi is still a mystery -- even to me -_-'.  
  
Raye3, you'll have to wait and see on that one I suppose. 'Coz even I don't know when or how Yue and the others will find out Usagi is the princess they're looking for.  
  
Kitsune, I know Usagi is a bit OOC. But I couldn't make her act her usual self. I didn't think she would be the same after not seeing her beloved for so long.but I'm sure she will be back to her normal self sooner or later.  
  
Now that's taken care of, lemme see what I can do with this chapter. ^_^;  
  
After another thorough reading of the fire by Rei, the senshi went to their respective home to prepare themselves for the upcoming full moon night. It still baffled them how the dark side could drain those poor little children's energy like that with none of the senshi ever detecting their presence. While Rei continued to search for answers that night in her fire, Ami was pondering about it using her logical brain.  
  
"There has to be some explanation as to what's going on here. They can't just steal little children's energy without any of us noticing it!" muttering Ami sat at her computer and started to make another detailed research. She looked at the facts she had already collected earlier and went through them again. "One thing is for sure," she closed her eyes rubbing the heels of her palms against them, "None of the parents knew how the kids got to the playground on their own at the hour of midnight. If we are careful, maybe we'll be able to explain part of it tomorrow night." Sighing softly, she shut down her computer and turning of the light, she snuggled into the bed to fall into a restless sleep.  
  
No amount of baking helped calm her frustrated nerves that night. After setting another batch of cookies on the counter to cool off, Makoto tossed the apron onto a chair and left her kitchen. "There has to be something I could do tonight. If only we knew the kids that are going to be targeted tomorrow.we could have tried to stop it from happening.if only. But without even know what we're facing, how are we supposed to fight them? There better be some answers tomorrow if those guys know what's good for them." muttering, she stalked to the bathroom to soak herself in a long hot bath and clear her mind a bit.  
  
Mina sat at her window and gazed at the stars. Tears shining in her pretty blue eyes. Thinking of Usagi brought tears to her these days. Her thoughts kept racing in her mind as she rest her chin against the windowsill, 'Why her? She never did anything to harm another living creature. So why was she being tormented like that?' She was somehow convinced that whatever is happening here is somehow related to what happened to Usagi a year ago. The direction of her thoughts led her to remember that fateful day.  
  
***Flashback***  
  
Almost a year ago.  
  
((A/N: You'll have to excuse the timeline here coz I haven't seen the Sailor Stars season. So, I have no idea what happened after the Sailor Moon Super S.))  
  
She watched Chibi-Usa say her goodbyes to Helios. She had giggled and laughed and teased Chibi-Usa about it for hours later. She had been happy for Chibi-Usa and had been happy for herself and her friends. 'Life is good,' Usagi had thought then. Days had passed quite happily for her. She got her usual grades in tests and quizzes. She went to the ice cream parlor with Chibi-Usa and the rest of the girls. She was her usual klutzy self. But it hadn't bothered Usagi. She was content with the knowledge that Mamoru was beside her and her loyal and closest friends will never desert her. And to top it off, she had her beloved and very annoying Chibi-Usa with her. What could possibly go wrong? Unless of course it was another of the dark sides thirst to conquer earth. But she was confident that she could have handled any type dark powers as long as she had the support of the senshi and Mamoru. And she knew she would always have their support. There was not a single thing that could upset Usagi at that time.  
  
But the happiness for her hadn't lasted long. Mamoru had pointed out once that Usagi had room for improvement. She might have agreed to that if Chibi-Usa hadn't laughed at that comment. She had just chased around Mamoru in an effort to catch Chibi-Usa to give her a good little thrashing she so deserved. And in her intent to chase Chibi-Usa, she had missed the look that crossed Mamoru's face.  
  
It wasn't that of anger or misery or even disapproval. It was just a slight disappointment, but he covered it quickly. He knew that she couldn't help who she was. He also knew that with a little effort from her and a little help, she could become -- not so -- clumsy. But he hadn't pointed that out. He hadn't wanted to upset Usagi then. So, he just ignored the sense of despair that had taken root in him and watched Usagi with loving, but cool eyes.  
  
The senshi had noticed the subtle change in Mamoru. They tried to point out to Usagi, but Usagi had just brushed away their concerns saying Mamoru was just happy. And she had believed that Mamoru was just as happy as she was. The senshi hadn't been able to communicate through to Usagi that everything wasn't alright.  
  
The disappointment and despair continued to grow within Mamoru. He wasn't even sure why he felt like that towards Usagi now, when he had no problem with her attitude before. He didn't understand why he felt that despair. He didn't understand why lately he hadn't been able tolerate Usagi's usual clumsy and hyper behavior. He didn't understand why the need to get away from her grew inside him. Oh what he wouldn't do to get things back to normal. The way they were before he started feeling these kinds of confusing emotions towards Usagi. Even though he didn't understand it, his emotions and feelings grew within him into uncontrollable proportions!  
  
What he did know was that, if he didn't get away from Usagi for a while, he might end up hurting her or doing some more permanent damage. He wouldn't be able to tolerate that. With that in mind, he had gone to the ice cream parlor that evening to meet Usagi. He knew she would be coming alone to meet him, he also knew that her friends will be nearby just in case. He was glad they would be near, because he knew they'd be needed to comfort her when he broke the news to her. He knew she would be hurt for a while, but he had made up his mind that he would explain everything to her when he got back from a vacation.  
  
Just a little harmless vacation.  
  
Usagi came hopping into the parlor in her usual bubbly mood. She was happy to see that Mamoru was waiting for her in a booth already. Sliding into the booth, she grinned at him and kissed his cheeks leaning forward, "'evening Mamo-chan."  
  
"Evening Usako. You look radiant and very happy today."  
"Of course, I'm always happy to see you. So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"  
"Why don't you go order your favorite and biggest ice cream and we'll talk once you start eating?" Mamoru suggested with a gentle smile playing along his lips.  
  
Nodding her head, Usagi went to the counter and came back with her favorite, "So, what are we gonna talk about?"  
  
"Usako. You know how much I love you.right?"  
"Of course. How can I not know how much you love me! And I love you just as much and more" The smile lit her eyes as she gazed into Mamoru's eyes.  
  
"Indeed. I hope this won't upset you, but I've to go out of town for a while."  
"Out of town? Taking a job somewhere for the rest of the summer?"  
  
"Its not a job. I just need a little vacation. I need some space for myself."  
"Oh. Ok. Sure. When are you leaving? When will you be coming back?" Usagi hadn't given much of a thought to it at that time. She had believed when he said he needed a vacation. 'Poor Mamo-chan. He works so hard. Surely he deserves a vacation. And after helping me defeat the dark side like that, he definitely could use one.'  
  
"I'm not sure when I'll be back Usako. But I'm positive I'll be back before school starts again. I promise." He smiled and kissed her gently on the lips, "I've to get going now. The train leaves tonight. And I've some packing to do."  
  
"I'll come help you with your stuff." Kissing him back she sighed, "I hope you'll come back soon. I'll be waiting for you. Where are you staying by the way?"  
  
"I'm not quite sure. Why don't I give you a call from the hotel there once I settle in?"  
  
"Sure." Finishing her ice cream, she walked hand in hand with Mamoru back to his apartment to help him pack.  
  
'Ok. So she didn't need her friends to sooth her after all. She is taking it quite fine.' The look on Usagi's face as she helped him pack up made him smile and made a mental note for himself, 'I won't break my promise Usako. I'll come back to you. And I promise my feelings won't be confusing when I return.'  
  
The senshi was with her when she waved at the departing train that carried Mamoru. She hadn't complained about him leaving till now. But she couldn't hold back the silent tears that fell as she watched the train speed off. She had hugged Mina and cried softly saying, "I miss him already. I do hope he will call me soon. I don't know how I'm going to stay here without hearing from him often."  
  
Mina had soothed her with the help of the rest of the gang, saying he will be back home soon.  
  
Usagi had received a call that night from some hotel in Osaka. She had been glad to hear his voice again. She had written down the contact number and after a long chat with her beloved, she hung up and happily went to bed. Her troubled and restless sleep did nothing to erase her cheerful mood that next day.  
  
A week had passed since she received that call that night. There were no more calls from Mamoru after that. She got tired of waiting for him and since it was making her depressed, she dialed the number he had given her. But to her disappointment, she learned that Chiba Mamoru had checked out of the hotel 3 days ago. She worried as to where he might have gone. But she had hope that he will call her sooner or later. She said nothing to the girls about not receiving any calls from Mamoru for another week. By then, she was worried sick about him. Her friends tried to calm her and tried to tell her that he will be back. But it hadn't worked.  
  
She was more than worried when she saw no sign of him anywhere when the school started again. But the biggest shock she received had been when she went by to his apartment. The landlord had informed that Chiba Mamoru had vacated the house a week ago. He hadn't even come by to pick up his stuff. Instead, he had sent the notice through some person. And he hadn't left any forwarding address. The landlord had given the description of the person delivering the notice as small build, brown hair and average looking. She was disappointed to realize that there must be thousands of people resembling that description right there in Tokyo.  
  
She had gone to the senshi with tears in her eyes.  
  
"He left. Just like that. He didn't even pick up his stuff," sniffling, she looked at Chibi-Usa.  
  
"I'm sure there is a logical explanation to this Usagi. Mamoru isn't an irrational being. And he would never break a promise," Ami had pointed out.  
  
"But how can he not break his promise when school started a week ago and he still can't be found anywhere?" Usagi complained.  
  
The senshi hadn't been able to comfort her. Her grief had been too much to bear. She had cried in her room every night and tried to present cheery self during the day. But it had been very hard on her. She knew she couldn't go on like that. But what was she supposed to do when everything reminded her of Mamoru. Everywhere she looked, she saw his face. Her school year went on the way it always did. But her heart hadn't been into anything at school. She hadn't shown her cheerful face to anybody after six months of his disappearance. Even her closest friend in class Naru hadn't been able to coax her into a laugh now and then. The rest of the year had just been depressing for her with his reminders everywhere.  
  
So it had come to her as a surprise and some kind of relief when her father announced to the family that he got a promotion and that their company wanted him to move to the new branch they had opened on the other side of Tokyo. She hadn't protested when her parents had informed her and Chibi-Usa that they were moving. But she hadn't been able to watch Chibi-Usa walk around in the house. She reminded Usagi of what the future might have been if Mamoru hadn't left her like that without saying a word. So she had asked Chibi-Usa to return to her time. Chibi-Usa had understood her grief and not being able to comfort Usagi, she went back to her own time. The separation tearing at everyone's heart.  
  
The day after Chibi-Usa's departure, Usagi went to the temple where the girls were meeting and informed them that she didn't have to strength to be lead them anymore. And that she would just be in the way if some dark power came to earth to conquer it. Ignoring the protests and reasoning, she left the temple with a heavy heart.  
  
She had moved to the other side of Tokyo with her parents sometime that week.  
  
***End of flashback***  
  
Usagi lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. "Did I do the right thing leaving the senshi? Would I have been really in their way if I had stayed? Do I go back to the senshi? Will she be able to help with whatever force they're dealing with?" she questioned herself loudly. Shaking her head slightly, she went to the desk to pen her answer to the request Luna had brought her.  
  
However depressing her previous year had been for her, one thing was sure. She might get her depressed sometimes. But she wasn't constantly depressed now. Touya with his annoyed voice and irritated face made her forget her depression for a while. And it was fun to annoy Nakuru like that.  
  
A/N: There you go. What do you think so far? I know the flashback was long. -_-' but it just took me over. Anyway, R and R as always. I'll be waiting to read your responses for this chapter! 


	8. Chapter 8: New Power?

A/N: I'm so glad to see the responses from you guys ^^; SJP, Mamoru had his reasons for not contacting Usgai.but I can't yet reveal the reasons.that would spoil everything =P Silver Moon Princess, I usually try to limit my chapters to 4 or 5 pages or 6 pages at max. on the word ^^; It helps me keep track of whats going on in the story. LightAngel, The Outers will join in when the time is right ^_^; Hikuyo, You needn't apologize for pointing out that Usagi was OOC. If I can't handle a little flame.I wouldn't be a good writer now.would I? But I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story ^^.  
  
Now, lets see what will happen to their strategy and if everything works out for them ^^;;;  
  
The night of the full moon.  
  
The pair of yellow glowing eyes of the creature perched on branches of the trees at the playground in the north side of the Tokyo went unnoticed. The streets were pretty busy and the crowd hadn't thinned away until after 10 that night. It gave all the time and seclusion the creature needed to gather around some energy. Glancing at the playground one last time, the creature closed its eyes and simply vanished into the shadows to make its reports. Nobody passing the streets noticed the pair of eyes; it was as if nothing happened, not even a leaf had been moved.  
  
At their base camp, the others similar to the creature were waiting for its report. Leaning against the wall, Kita looked at the creature with the yellow glowing eyes and merely raised an eyebrow. The creature bowed and keeping its head lowered and eyes cast down went on to report in a monotonous voice, "The ground is prepared Master. The arrangements have been made and the children will be ready to be summoned tonight."  
  
Kita merely continued to watch the creature and finally pushed of from the wall. A single ray of light that braved and slashed through the thick darkness cast eerie shadows against the wall. If one were observing this meeting, one would not have been able to say if Kita was a male or a female - they wouldn't even have been able to say if Kita was a human being. The light cast on Kita showed off smooth lean muscles on his body. The face was clear of all emotions, and no expressions passed across his face except the dark gleam in his eyes. He might have passed off for being male with those muscles if it hadn't been for his soft, full red lips and a faint blush across his pale cheeks, well trimmed eyebrows and thick long lashes. He might have passed off for a human being, if one didn't notice the tiny horns poking out of his head, his thick mane of black hair covering the horns most of the time.  
  
Nodding his head, Kita pulled his cloak around him and waved his hand to the creature, "You did good - you may now leave. The Lord will be very pleased with your work." With those simple words, he waited for the creature to leave and then walked in the opposite direction. Reaching the door at the end of the hallway, he knocked on it lightly and entered silently.  
  
"My Lord. Everything is going according to plan. No delays are expected. With your permission, I'll leave for the prepared grounds myself and call the chosen children." He kept his eyes cast down in respect to the figure standing near a small, round, glowing object. The person who Kita addressed as 'My Lord' had his back turned to Kita and kept his eyes focused on the glowing ball.  
  
"Very well then. You may proceed. I shall not tolerate any delays." Reaching out to touch the ball, the man continued in soft tones, "You may leave now. Remember, we have very limited time to call upon the ultimate child whose energy will fuel the rest of our operation."  
  
The smirk on the man went unnoticed as Kita backed away from the chamber and closed the doors.  
  
*****  
  
Rei had received the reply from Usagi. She had called the others to inform them of the fact. They weren't sure if they were disappointed or merely surprised by her reply. When Rei had read the short message that said:  
  
I'M SORRY YOU GUYS. BUT I STILL NEED MORE TIME. I DON'T THINK I CAN HELP YOU WITH THE NEW DARK FORCE. I CAN'T FACE YOU GUYS YET. I JUST NEED MORE TIME. PLEASE TRY TO UNDERSTAND. I DO PROMISE HOWEVER, THAT I'LL COME BACK TO YOU WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT - signed, Usagi.  
  
And now the girls lay in the shadows of the buildings surrounding the playground keeping watch for anything that might be suspicious. The playground was empty, except for a guy dressed in whites. They didn't think he was suspicious by the look of him. He looked harmless, even sad if one can assess emotions from afar. He sat at a bench staring at the sky and looking at the big fat full moon. His eyes reflected the light cast from the moon.  
  
The girls continued to keep watch on the person sitting on the bench. Lying low and waiting. Waiting to see when the dark forces will make their move towards their doom. At least those were the lines the senshi were thinking along.  
  
*****  
  
At the same time, on top of a building stood a few other figures watching the person at the bench and the senshi in the shadows as well. The moonlight reflected on them revealed a white haired and white robed, solemn eyed man with his hands folded across his chest, a little girl in a colorful pink costume and a wand type stick in her hand, a little boy in green robes and a little stuffed animal type creature sitting on the girl's shoulder. If Usagi had passed them, she wouldn't have recognized them for who they were.  
  
They continued to keep watch on them until the sound of light footsteps was heard behind them. Whirling around to see who it was, they caught sight of another figure in the shadows walking towards them. They let out a sigh of relief when the figure stepped out into the moonlight and revealed him to be another boy with glasses.  
  
With a nod towards them, the boy walked over to the group and faced the playground silent. When he caught sight of the person at the bench and no children at the park, he glanced towards his watch. 11:30 PM.  
  
"They'll make their move very soon," Eriol murmured softly not taking his eyes off the person at the bench.  
  
"How do you know?" It was Li who questioned the boy. His eyes holding curiosity and suspicion.  
  
"I know because - Sakura's decked is missing a few cards - a few vital and powerful cards."  
  
"What!" Sakura exclaimed, "But how is that possible?! I have all my cards in the deck. I'm sure of that!"  
  
"Are you sure? Have you checked any of them lately? Some of them are not the originals - a few cards were replaced and whoever stole them, was powerful enough to make the fake cards emit similar powers as that of the original cards," explained Eriol in a soft voice as he continued to keep his eyes on the person at the bench.  
  
With a little gasp, Sakura pulled out her deck to examine her cards to see if she had any fake cards in her deck as Eriol pointed out.  
  
*****  
  
Usagi cursed herself for letting her instinct bring her to the playground rather than hearing to her head. It was 11:45 PM and the night was cold. She hadn't transformed into Sailor Moon because she knew the senshi would have recognized her power easily. She couldn't afford to let them know that she might be ready to come back yet. Not after giving them that reply. Crouching in the shadows near a stinking trashcan, holding onto her breath, she surveyed the playground. But her eyes kept coming back to the man at the bench. She wasn't sure why, but somehow she felt a tinge in her heart as she studied him. He emitted, very faintly, a very familiar power she had once known and cherished in her heart. But that couldn't be. She shook her head and looked around again, she couldn't afford to get emotional now.  
  
She could also see the figures standing on top of a building studying the playground. She wasn't sure whether to believe they were the good guys or the bad guys or simply a group of kids enjoying the full moon night on the terrace. She could sense them nearby even though she couldn't see them. Sighing softly she glanced at her watched again and held her breath waiting for the dark powers to make their move. It was almost time - only 5 more minutes.  
  
*****  
  
Even though Usagi hadn't used her crystal to transform, the girls could sense the power of it nearby. They closed their eyes to concentrate on where it was coming from, but for some reason, the signal was distorted. And they couldn't really sense Sailor Moon. They weren't sure if they were imagining this or if Usagi was really nearby. Shrugging off the feeling of someone watching them, they focused on the playground - 5 more minutes. They are going to make their move soon and stop those bad guys from harming any more children.  
  
At that moment their thoughts were interrupted by a little noise on the street at the entrance. There stood a little boy, probably of age 7, walking towards the playground with blank eyes. Mina gasped as she saw the boy and thought of holding the boy back, but she knew it wouldn't help them in anyway and the dark powers will know they're here. They couldn't afford to reveal themselves until they identified the enemy.  
  
They watched the man at the bench, but he hadn't taken his eyes off the moon and hadn't even shifted slightly as the boy approached him and sat cross-legged in front of him on the grass.  
  
Mina softly whispered into her communicator to the others, "Alright. We know now for sure that man is somehow involved with this whole situation. We just have to capture him and make him tell what they want and who they are. Most likely it will be the control of earth like the other dark forces that tried to invade earth."  
  
By the time the senshi shut down the communicators, there were three other children sitting in front of the man at the bench, who had yet to make any move. All their eyes were blank and focused intently on the man's face.  
  
*****  
  
Yue was the one who first spotted Usagi behind the trashcan watching the man at the bench. He watched her a few more minutes and noted her reactions as the children gathered around the man. "I'm not sure if she is still on our side or just waiting for all the children to be gathered to make her move and cast the suspicion on the man at the bench."  
  
"30 seconds. 30 seconds before we know exactly whose side she is on," Li muttered glancing at his watch. And then they all were surprised as they heard and saw the senshi move towards the man at the bench. As the senshi introduced themselves and gave their little speech on how the man should stop this and give up, the last and fifth child sat down on the grass with blank eyes focused on him.  
  
At that moment Sakura gasped softly, "There are indeed a few cards missing. But most importantly -." She had no time to finish as everything broke lose at that moment. She just had a moment to whisper a single word, "Time."  
  
Usagi gasped and pushed herself off of the ground and stood up just as the man finally noticed the little kids on the grass near him and smirking he looked at the senshi. "Sorry girls. I'd love to chat and all, but I'm pressed for time." With that he pulled out a card.  
  
"He has the 'Time card'. That is the 'Time card'. Those girls won't have a chance against him without some sort of help!" Sakura exclaimed and prepared to make a move. But it was too late.  
  
The man had already released the power of the card and neither of the groups - Sakura's or the senshi - could grasp what kind of power it was. The 'Time card' had somehow been changed. And the power it emitted wasn't the same power Sakura had tamed. Before anyone to make out any of it, the man smirked softly and bowing to them low he whispered, "If you're wondering who I am - I'm called Kita. That is all you'll need to know." With that he released the full power of the 'Time card' he possessed and smirked as the time froze. Everything and everyone went still.  
  
He let out an evil and amused laugh to see the senshi frozen in their places in front of him. But he had no more time to waste. It was exactly 12:00 AM when he had released the power. And he had to move out quickly. With that in mind, she spoke in soft and gentle words to the kids. Assuring them that 'they're doing the right thing by helping him. They're doing the right thing by giving up their life energy into his custody. He will take good care of them and make this world a better place to live in.' With that reassuring words to the kids, he held out his hand and slowly extracted their life energies and forming a little ball of energy in his hands, he watched the kids fall to the ground almost lifelessly, barely holding onto their lives.  
  
Letting out another laugh, he walked away from the playground leaving the frozen senshi and walked through the frozen world to the base with the energy. Once he was safely inside the base, he called the 'Time card' back to him unfreezing the time.  
  
Everyone at the playground blinked and shaking their heads looked around. "What happened?!!" they murmured and gasped as they saw the kids unconscious. The senshi made a few calls to the local hospital reporting the unconscious children, but they had to leave the place so that their names wouldn't appear on the local news.  
  
Usagi blinked herself out of the shock and biting her lip, she held onto the crystal close to her heart and left the place quietly. She had some calls to make of her own.  
  
Sakura was the first to break the shocked silence at the top of the building. "But - That wasn't exactly the power of the 'Time Card'. Yue, couldn't you have controlled the card? It was powered by the moon."  
  
Yue shook his head, "I'm sorry. I did try, but its power was somehow different. It felt as if it acquired some other powers along the road and has been upgraded somehow. I don't think we've much time left. We've to find the princess soon! She is the only one who can help us." His eyes went to look for Usagi in the shadows, but she had already left the place.  
  
As they heard the sirens in the distance, they all came to the same conclusion - they could do nothing to help these children. They've to leave the place now and come up with a new strategy on how to stop the this new - 'Time card'. And they had to find this Moon Princess soon.  
  
Yue glanced towards Eriol as he spoke, "I'll need to borrow some books from your library. There must be a book of legends somewhere hidden and some sort of clue as to who the princess might be."  
  
When Eriol nodded his head slowly, they left the place. They couldn't talk about this tonight anymore. They needed clear heads and all of them needed some rest and time to think about it. With that in mind, the retreated just as the ambulance and police arrived at the playground.  
  
A/N: Well, that's it for chapter 8. How was it? ^^; I'd love to see your comments and suggestions as usual. So R & R. By the way, college starts tomorrow and I've got a busy schedule. So I'm not sure when I might be able to update the next chapter. ^_^; 


	9. Chapter 9: Book of Prophesies

A/N: First, I'm so sorry for keeping you guys wait this long for a new chapter. Can't help it when life just takes over! Hopefully I can make amends for keeping you wait this long. Hope you like this new chapter. And thank you very much for the prompt reviews. I do depend on them to shape my chapters.

Usagi is acting OOC, but I do need her like this. But the reason will be revealed in a future chapter.

Please comment!

Usagi had been brooding in her room all morning. It had all happened so fast last night that she couldn't even think where even begin. The man called Kita had pulled out a card. The power wasn't familiar to her, yet she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that for some bizarre reason, she ought to have recognized it, at least part of the power it exuded. Deciding she had been in her room for far too long that day, she quickly changed and ran out the door yelling to her mother, "Mom, I'm going to the library." Her mother stopped her cooking and stared after the closed door in mild shock.

The girls were gathered in Rei's room and watched Rei read the fire silently. With a frustrated sigh, Rei opened her eyes to look at the girls helplessly. Shaking her head she muttered, "Sorry girls, the fire isn't telling me anything yet. It felt as if...as if I have been denied the permission to read by a higher authority..."

Ami stared at the fire, then looked into Rei's eyes, "But that doesn't make any sense!"

Mina, "What do you mean by it?"

Ami, "Well, a while ago I was doing some research on the legends of the moon and I came across a little information that said, a senshi's power is drawn from their respective planet and without a direct order from the rulers, it can't be withdrawn."

Makoto, "What are you talking about?"

Rei held up her hand, "Ami is trying to say that the power to read fire comes from my link to Mars and it can only be withheld if the King or the Queen gave a direct order to Princess Mars."

Ami nodded at her explanation. The girls looked at one another in silence for another minute.

"But it doesn't make sense, because we have not seen Pluto or the King or the Queen and the princess herself is lying dormant!" Makoto exclaimed.

"Which is why it doesn't make any sense to me," Rei stood up and started pacing.

"Why don't we go back to the park and see if we can pick up any traces of negative energy, and if we do then we might be able to trace it back to its base," Ami said standing, "at least it will be some sort of start."

With a nod of agreement, the girls left the temple for the park.

Usagi was close to tears within 30 minutes of her arrival at the library. The nice lady at the reference desk had showed her how to use the library database to search for a topic on the computer. But Usagi being Usagi managed not to find a single souce on the folklore or legends or the myths of the moon.

"I wish Ami was here now!" she wailed softly under her breath. Realizing that she won't get anying done on a computer, she stood, stretched and started walking down the aisles of books to see if she might spot anything remotely related to the moon. Unfortunately for her, she managed to get herself lost in the huge library.

Not knowing where she was going, she took turn after turn around the corners of the massive bookshelves. After 15 minutes of walking around bookshelves, she saw an unmarked door. Hoping to find some help there, she pushed open the door and walked inside. The door automatically closed behind her, leaving her in a dimly lit hallway lined with several magnificently carved entryways with closed doors. Groaning out loud she turned around to go back, but to her astonishment the door had vanished behind her.

"Hello," she called out loud and was terrified by the eerie echo the corridor gave. As she started walking, the crystal in her brooch gave out a faint light. She blinked in confusion and called out again, "Hello? Anybody here?"

But no answer. Her heart started pounding, as the light grew stronger. At one of the doors, the crystal warmed against her skin. She stopped in her tracks with a gasp. The light was so bright that she had to cover her eyes. Gulping down precious air nervously, she reached out for the doorknob. The knob was so hot that her fingers broke into instant blisters. Crying out in pain, she backed away from the door, without looking where she was going.

Like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, Usagi tumbled through a door behind her and found herself on her ass in someone's personal library. She could tell that she wasn't in the public library because the walls were lined with bookshelves from ceiling to floor, completely covered in leather bound books. Gasping softly, she stood slowly and looked around. She quickly turned towards the door and watched in fascinated horror as the door closed on its own accord and simply vanished into thin air.

Whimpering for a few seconds she called out loud, "Hello? Anybody here? I...I am lost and need help to find my way out!"

She got no response. Sighing softly she looked at the bookshelf next to her and touched one of the leather bound volume. Murmuring softly at how well the book was preserved, she started down to see if she could find a door out of this maze of bookshelves. As she made her way across the room, her fingers trailing over the soft leather of the book covers, she heard a heartbeat. Frowning softly and shaking her head thinking she was losing her mind, she continued walking, her fingers still trailing. But on one row of books, her fingers grew warm. Thinking she was definitely losing her mind, she removed her fingers from the books and started across the room again. But this time, she could definitely hear a heartbeat...and it was coming from...she didn't know exactly where. Closing her eyes she concentrated on it, and she could feel it now...the heartbeat surrounded her and compelled her towards a wall of books. With her own heart pounding again, she looked up at the books and gulping nervously, she reached out to the books.

Once the books on a certain shelf were pulled down, she could make out a faint hidden compartment. Knowing she shouldn't be doing this, but unable to stop herself, she opened the panel on the hidden compartment bookshelf. There lay a book covered in ancient black leather and gold print title 'History of the Moon'. The moment her fingers touched the book, she could feel the heartbeat...coming from the book itself. Gasping softly she pulled her fingers back and stared at the book in wonder. Then, in front of her eyes...the book slid to the floor with a loud thud and opened up to a page. The pages were ancient and on the verge of tearing apart. She bent down and with great care picked up the book.

"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" came an authoritative voice behind her.

Usagi froze for a second and without thinking she grabbed the book and started running. She could see a door at the far end of the wall and she could hear the footsteps so close to her. Not wanting to get caught, terribly frightened by that authoritative voice, she ran blindly towards the door, the book in her hand firmly. The door opened up for her and once she ran out of the private library, the door closed behind her.

Yue had come to Eriol's mansion to get some research done. To a person's eye, the library was impressive with its dark wood and comfortable cushioned chairs. But behind a bookshelf lay a door for another most private collection of books. The books in that collection related to the legends and myths of the moon and the planets...but the legends and myths were more than just legends and myths...they were facts and actual recorded history. Particularly one book, which prophesized the events that will occur, regarding the moon princess, her guardians and the clow cards. The book had been protected by the great Clow himself.

"It has been said that, he was gifted with the book by the Queen, so that it may not fall into the wrong hands. Everyone is looking for it. And Clow wove a spell around the book that will only let the Queen herself touch or her descendents," Eriol was saying to Yue as he led him into the library.

"So...nobody but the royals can touch the book?" Yue enquired as they opened the passageway into the inner library.

"No...unless the negative powers create a power mimicking that of the princess or the queen, no one can open the book," Eriol nodded as they entered the inner library.

Yue was about to make another comment whey he felt that something wasn't right in the library. Then he saw her. Bending over the book, several others scattered around the floor.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he asked angrily.

But instead of a reply, the girl started running and then...she simply vanished into the wall. Yue's persuit came to a halt at the wall and angrily he strode back to the bookshelf.

Eriol, whose calmness can usually not be disturbed, had a frown on his face.

"What is it?" Yue asked looking at the empty row of books and a panel revealing a hidden compartment.

"That was the book of prophesies. And nobody knows of its location but me!"

Yue stared at the compartment for a second and then at the wall were Usagi had disappeared into.

"So...you're saying..."

"You saw how the girl vanished into the wall. I believed she had stumbled into gateway of portals. The gateway consists of portals to every place on this solar system. And by the looks of it, she managed to find one to the library, and grab the book," Eriol sighed picking up the books on the floor carefully.

"So? Are we just going to sit here picking up the books? Shouldn't we do something about it? Can't you open the portal or something?" Yue asked helplessly.

Eriol simply smiled at him. "The gateway can either be opened by the guardian of time and space, or by the descendents of the Queen, unless as I said before the negative forces have managed to discover the gateway by mimicking the princess's powers. So, I believe Yue, the person we saw was mostly likely the princess herself, because she not only found the gateway, but used it and took the book with her."

Yue frowned at this, "But what if as you said it was the dark forces? It might have been the dark forces, because she ran away from us. And we weren't able to get a good look at her. All we know now is that if it was the princess, then she has long golden hair. But all the royal females have long hair...don't they?"

Eriol smiled replacing the books on the shelf, "Sure they do, but the color changes. And it has been rumored that the current princess has golden hair. So I believe we just let our princess slip through our fingers."

Sighing softly, Yue went about looking for books that might help him with the whereabouts of the princess, who had looked vaguely familiar to him, now that he thought about it.

Usagi stumbled through the same doors back into the library. With her heart in her throat, she didn't look where she was going and bumped into what she thought was a wall. Yelping softly, she quickly grabbed the book that fell away from her and her other hand straightened her skirt.

"Well if it isn't the meatball head," came an amused voice.

She looked up and to her humiliation she saw that she had bumped into none other than Touya himself. Groaning softly, she stood up quickly, the book behind her back.

Raising an eyebrow, Touya peered behind her and being taller than her it was easy for him to see that she had a book and she didn't want him to see it. Smirking he said, "Don't want anyone to find out you're actually at the library and reading a book?"

"No. Its not like that. I was just headed back home," she muttered looking around and trying to slip past him.

Immediately suspicious, Touya smirked at her again, "Oh really? I'm headed to home too. Why don't I walk you there?" He groaned inwardly, wondering what had possessed him with such curiosity as to what the book she was carrying.

"That's ok. I can walk by myself," she said out loud, wondering why she was refusing such a handsome guy's offer to walk her home. Then she started checking all the annoying things he does, like call her meatball head, smirk like he knew what she was thinking. 'I'm better off going home alone than with him. What if mom and dad saw me with him? They just might get the wrong idea! Though they'd probably be relieved thinking I'm moving on!' she thought furiously. But what she hadn't noticed was that Touya was leading her out of the library, grabbing her arm.

The little ESP in Touya that usually flickers alive when his sister needed help, had come to full life around Usagi. It wasn't a tiny flicker but a complete roar. He was taken aback by it, but had it in control. Now he was determined to find out what she was carrying and why his ESP reacted the way it did around Usagi.

Nakuru had followed Touya to the library and had 'accidentally' met him where he usually studied. But he had given her the slip saying he had to use the restrooms. After that she hadn't seen him at all. Muttering oaths under her breath she stood up to look for him when she noticed through the windows that he was leading that traitorous Usagi with his had.

'How dare that little hussy lead him on like that!' she thought, never mind that Touya was leading Usagi and not the other way round...literally. Muttering more oaths and swearing softly, she marched out the library and ran after them.

They had just turned around the corner when Nakuru squealed like a little school girl and jumped onto Touya's back. "Hello again Touya. That's so bad of you to leave me at the library all alone like that!" she said giving Usagi a superior look and smile.

Usagi who had been protesting so far was unprepared for the attack from Nakuru like that. With a mischievous smile, she suddenly changed tactics on Touya. Shifting the book to her right hand, she curled her left hand around Touya and leaned into his right side, where he was holding her and almost purred at Touya giving a Nakuru a look, "Why Touya dear, you didn't tell me you were with Nakuru. You didn't have to break your plans like that just for me!"

Nakuru got off his back and went to his other side, grabbing hold of his other hand.

Touya groaned softly, thinking, 'I should have realized this was going to happen when I left Nakuru at the library. But what was I supposed to do! God save me from this mess!!'

They had almost reached their homes, to Touya's relief, because Nakuru and Usagi were bickering like two little girls wanting the same Barbie doll, when Usagi brought her other hand to curl around Touya's arm.

The book touched Touya's skin and the metaphysical connection to the moon flared to life. They all stood frozen in shock for one brief moment when they could see the dark forces at their work. Usagi could see the dark forces hard at work, but to her frustration she couldn't not see who the lord was who was giving these commands. Touya could see that his sister will be placed in danger soon, because she was a little girl and the dark forces gathered children's life energies. As for Nakuru, she could see the Queen in her long white hair, the Queen's eyes sad and her mouth pleading for help.

Completely taken by surprise, Usagi quickly broke the connection by pulling the book away. Everyone quickly said they had things to do and went their respective ways, but what they didn't know was that the other two had visions too, grim visions.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think of it. I do welcome your comments and flames and whatever it is you want to tell me about this chapter. Please do leave a review.


	10. Chapter 10: Who is the Princess?

Yue quickly left Eriol's place and went to Li's where Sakura and Kero were already discussing something. For the first time Li and Sakura Yue being nervous. "Yue-san, are you feeling ok? You look kinda nervous to me," Sakura asked moving closer to him.

"Yeah, you do look a bit pale," Li echoed his concern.

Yue waved his hand, "No, I'm not nervous. However, I do have something to discuss with you. I went with Eriol to do some research on the history of the moon. He said its time I took a look at one of the books. In face it's the only book that shows some sort of connection to the Reed family and the Royal family of the moon."

"So, what did the book say?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, the book was stolen," Yue mumbled.

"Stolen! How could anyone breach Eriol's security system and steal something from his library?" Li demanded with outrage.

"Eriol explained to me about the gateway to the portals. He said this gateway can take anyone to any place they want to go. He also said that only the royal family can open the book. I am assuming however that those with the power to control the cards can also access the book. Why else would Eriol have it in his possession. Anyway, some girl with long golden hair took the book and vanished into the gateway. We couldn't follow," Yue said with a sigh. "We don't know if the book is in the hands of the princess or her associates or if the dark forces have come up with a way to mimick the royal power."

Meanwhile, back at Eriol's place, Nakuru had come back in a rush. "I need to talk to you about something," she said in a hurry to Eriol. "I was with Touya earlier when that girl Usagi bumped into us. We were almost at Touya's house when all of a sudden I felt a connection to the royal family. The queen was in tears seeking help, but nobody seemed to be able to help her. I broke the connection quickly because I didn't want anyone else to know what I was seeing. I just don't understand how I could have such a vision," Nakuru was pacing back and forth in front of Eriol, her face filled with worry.

Eriol listened to her quietly and considered what she was saying, "Nakuru, were you touching anything at that time, or anybody?"

Nakuru thought for a second before she answered, "Well, I was hanging onto Touya at that time, but I've never had visions before by hanging on to Touya."

"Ok, was Touya touching anything other than you?"

"Well," Nakuru simmered for a few seconds as she thought about Usagi, "Well, that girl Usagi was hanging to his arm again." She muttered grudgingly, "But Usagi has been hanging onto Touya's arm for a while now and the physical contacts haven't incited any visions until now."

Eriol nodded again and calmly went to make a call.

Yue was still at Li's place when the phone rang. Li answered it and frowning he handed it over to Yue, "Eriol wants to talk to you."

Yue went to stand in front of a window as he answered the call, "This is Yue speaking." After speaking on the phone for a while, Yue hung up with a frown on his face.

"Well, Nakuru seemed to have a vision of the Queen being sad and helpless. While she was having the vision, she was in touching Touya. Usagi was in physical contact with Touya at that time too. This type of physical contact never elicited any types of visions before. This could only mean that either Touya or Usagi had the book with them at that time. Since me and Eriol saw a girl with long golden hair vanish into the gateway, we have to assume that the book of prophesies is with Usagi," Yue said rubbing his forehead.

Li and Sakura looked confused at that. "If the book is with Usagi –" Sakura was thinking out loud.

"Well Sakura-chan, since we have not determined whether Usagi is on the good guys side or the bad guys, we can't tell anything. Usagi could be one of the associates of the princess, since she was attacked before. If she knows the princess, then we have to talk to her about revealing who the current princess is," Yue said. "If you decide to investigate on your own, you guys be careful!"

Sakura and Li nodded their agreement. Before they could say anything else, a loud angry voice yelled, "Sakura!"

Li winced at that voice and looked at Sakura, "I thought you didn't tell your brother that you were coming here."

"I didn't!" Sakura said, heading towards the door with Li close behind her. Yue stayed back in the room.

Touya was at the bottom of the stairs when Li and Sakura appeared on top. "Sakura! How dare you lie to me! You said you were going to Tomoyo's house, and not this – this – place" he growled, unable to finish what he started.

Sakura gulped, having never seen Touya in such an angry mood, "Well, I knew you'd flip out if I told you I was coming here. I asked dad and he said I could come here anyway."

"Yeah, well dad aint here now. We're going home now," he said as Sakura walked down the stairs.

"But I can't go home yet, we were in the middle of a very important discussion," Sakura said with a pout.

"I don't care, we're going home now. Its already after dark," Touya said and added to himself 'and its close to a new moon'. Saying so, he grabbed Sakura's hand headed towards the front door.

"Hey –" Li called out from behind.

"Boy. Stay away from my sister. I'm telling you for your own safety," Touya muttered and stalked away from the house with Sakura in tow.

Li stared after them in silence. By the time he went back to tell Yue about the little commotion, Yue had gone back to Yuki's place.

Sakura stared at her brother as he practically dragged her back to their home. 'Whats wrong with Onii-chan. Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?' she thought, bewildered by Touya's sudden protective streak. When they reached their home, Touya took her upstairs to her room as he lectured, "From now on, I don't want to see you stay out after dark. In fact, I want you home right after school. I'll be with you while you go to school and come back home. Got that?" slamming her room door, Touya went to his room.

"What was it that I saw, what am I supposed to make of that vision?" Touya muttered to himself as he closed his room door and slid down, running his fingers through his hair. "I know I saw Sakura in pain. She is just a little girl to go through that kind of – treatment" He continued to mumble to himself. "What if she caught that weird syndrome that's been going around lately? She could just slide into coma for no reason. I can't let that happen to her," Touya sighed softly wanting to forget what he saw in that vision. He just wouldn't let Sakura out of his sight for a while!

Usagi was on her bed staring at the book in her hand. "Man what a day. First I get lost in the library, then I stumble into that huge corridor and then I'm in someone's library pulling down books." She laid the book beside her on the bed, "How could I have stolen a book like that? And this looks so old. I bet it's priceless. Oh man! I know the police will be knocking on the door anytime now asking for the thief who stole an ancient book from a private collector."

She was in tears pretty soon as she stared at the book. The book was covered in weird symbols. What surprised her most was the moon that stood out significantly in the center of the book cover. Inside the moon was a building that she thought looked almost like the crystal palace. Frowning as she made out the shape, she opened the book. Her fingers warmed as she touched the first page of the book. Even though the pages were empty, the moment her fingers touched words started to appear on it. Clutching her crystal tightly, she started reading the book.

It was quite late at night when finally closed the book. Looking quite dazed at what she sat up wondering what to make of it. This part of the history about moon was unknown to her. 'Who is this Reed fellow who failed to help the Queen?' she thought, 'And why weren't the senshi informed of this?'

"What should I do now?" Usagi muttered to herself as she stared out the window. She blinked as she saw Touya drag his sister into their house and slam the doors. "Well someone is in a bad mood" she thought out loud. Shaking her head she said to herself, "It's not time to concentrated on him. I've to think of what I should do with this book and the things it said."

"Luna," she called out to her cat suddenly, "Why didn't you tell me anything about Clow Reed?" she asked the cat that was dozing in a corner.

Yawning Luna came awake to the questions Usagi was asking, "What do you mean? I don't know anything about this Clow Reed."

"You don't?" Usagi was surprised, "How can you not know about him? You should know something about it."

"I'm sorry but I can't help you with Reed. Perhaps Ami will know or maybe Rei," Luna suggested hoping that Usagi will finally see her friends again.

"I can't see them, not yet!" Usagi thought for a while and sighing softly she went to her computer. "I could ask them without meeting them though," saying so she started typing up an email to Ami. All it read was:

Ami, What do you know about Clow Reed? Usagi.

Sending the email, she crashed onto her bed hoping to find an answer from one of the girls soon. As she slept that night, she was plagued by nightmares about shadowy places and children crying out for help.

It was the next day that Ami checked her email. Frowning at the single line she received from Usagi, but happy that Usagi had taken the initiative to contact her, Ami had arranged for a meeting at Rei's place. When they gathered at the temple that evening, Ami smiled at the other girls, "Well, Usagi contacted us. Asked if we knew anything about Clow Reed. Other than that single question, she didn't say anything else. I've started looking to see if I can find out anything about Clow Reed, but so far, I haven't been able to dig up anything."

The other girls nodded slowly. "So, it's a good thing Usagi contacted us, right?" Mina asked, relief showing on her face.

"Yes! She might not be ready to meet us yet, but I believe this is progress considering she refused all help when she left us. Perhaps if we found out more about this Reed, we can lure her back to us. Maybe then we can make sure that she is fine and that new dark forces haven't nabbed her yet," Rei said hopefully.

"Yeah. Lets do our best to find out about Reed then," Makoto nodded already standing up to leave. Wanting to find out as quickly as possible about Reed, so that they could meet Usagi again.

"I'll start digging deeper, and see if I can find out anything. Also you guys keep in mind that the new moon is in a couple of days. South, North and East side of the city have been covered. What's left is the West and the central city. If they follow the pattern, the attack will be on the West side of the city. Lets hope we can do something about it this time," Ami said as she stood up as well.

In that moment, a small portal appeared inside Rei's place and a little girl with pink hair dropped down. Completely covered in bruises and blood, Chibi-Usa held a card in her hand as she said painfully, "Pluto gave this" and then fainted.

Flustered at Chibi-Usa's sudden appearance, and outraged at seeing what state she was in all four girls gathered around the little girl. Rei scooped up the girl and gently placed her on a mattress and took the card from the girl's hand. She held out the card to the others and read the word that was at the bottom of the card, "Time".

"Any idea what this card is?" Rei asked the others. When the others shook their heads, Rei turned back to Chibi-Usa. "Well, I'm going to clean up her wounds and call a doctor to attend her." Handing the card to Ami she asked, "Would you mind digging into this card while you're doing research on Reed?"

Makoto looked around the place waiting for Chibi-Usa's kitten to drop in as well, but when it didn't she narrowed her eyes, "I think we should guard her at all times. Rei give us a call if you need someone to take over your place. Meanwhile, Mina and I'll go look for Diana. Maybe she got lost and appeared in a different part of the city."

Nodding their agreements, the girls split up. Makato and Mina went out looking for Diana, while Ami headed to the library.

Once at the library Ami started searching the database for Clow Reed. There was only one hit. When she tried to open the link, she was asked for a password. "Oh damn, this might take a while, perhaps I should do this at home," muttering Ami copied down the link and headed home thinking of possibilities for the password.

A/N: I know I kept you waiting a long time, so sorry for that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think of it. Comments, questions and flames are welcome. Do review, coz it's the reviews that keep me going forward.


	11. Chapter 11: Date?

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A/N: Nercia, you're right. The previous chapter wasn't finished. But I wanted to keep it to 5 pages, so I had to stop where I stopped. The rest of the chapter is here. Hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

Once Ami was in her room, she locked her door and without even changing or thinking about a snack she started her computer. Grabbing the notebook where she had jotted down the information she glanced from the website at the library and the link, Ami started her search once again through the library database. Relieved that the link showed up at her PC, she opened the page. On first glance it was like any other website. It had a forum, a chat site, and a regular database. But when Ami tried to access any of them, she was asked to enter a password. Groaning softly she looked at her notebook muttering, "What could the password be?"

She had tried all the generic passwords. She had even found out who the website belonged to and tried the owner's name "Eriol", but it was still useless. No matter what she tried, access was denied to her. Frustrated by her failed efforts, she went down to the kitchen to grab a drink and calm herself down.

"Ok, so nothing generic works. The owner's name doesn't work. I was able to find out who the owner is and what he does. Nothing regarding his family showed up in my search, so I can't use a family name. So, what could it be?" Ami talked to herself loudly, hoping it might help. "Usagi sent the email asking me to find information about Reed. Perhaps she knows something that might help me in hacking this system."

Thinking so, she sat down to write an email to her. Then it hit her, "Usagi is the princess, and she is the direct heir to the crown. With the new enemy out there, it would make sense to assume that Reed might somehow be connected to the history of the royal family or to the new enemy. Since we know nothing much about the enemy other than the fact that they drain the life energy of children, I'll have to assume that Usagi know's nothing more than that either. If that's the case, then maybe I should try something relating to the moon."

Hoping her assumption was correct, she opened up the link and clicked on the database. When it asked for the password, she typed the word "crystaltokyo" then paused muttering, "It would still be simple if that's just it. Usually people add numbers to make it more difficult. Because this is related to history –" taking a deep breath she added '1000' next to the letters and entered.

To her delight, the password was accepted and she was able to access the database. As she read the information about Reed, her face showed the confusion. "If what it says here is true, then there must be someone who can wield power over the clow cards as they call it." The she remembered the card Chibi Usa was holding when she dropped in.

She immediately went to get the card and compared the image on screen to the card she held in her hand. "Oh my! So what they are claiming here is true. So this sorcerer created the cards and some of them derived their powers from the moon. And if what they say is true, then its also true that whatever word is written on the card, its that element the card wielder can control."

Before she could call the rest of the gang to let them know what she had learned, she heard a knock on the door. She had no time to turn off the computer and hide the card as people barged into her room and someone hit her from behind. As her vision went black, she tried to clutch the card tight, not wanting the bad guys to get a hold of it.

Anytime someone tried to access the database on Clow Reed, an alert goes through Eriol's mansion. Many times, the person trying to access gives up after a few tries. So Eriol found it interesting that whoever was trying to access the database tonight wasn't giving up no matter how many tries.

He was delighted to be able to trace the computer the hacker was using. He was miffed that whoever it was, was only a couple of blocks away. In another couple of minutes, Eriol had details on Ami. When he studied the reports generated by his computers on how brilliant Ami was, he immediately dispatched a team to retrieve Ami. He cursed softly when another alert went around informing that Ami had infiltrated their database and was now downloading sensitive information.

"Along with the girl, bring in her computer and whatever that looks like doesn't belong in the room of a high school girl," muttered Eriol into the radio.

He tried calling Sakura, but her brother asked him to leave a message and wouldn't let Eriol talk to her. So, he had no choice but to call Yuki and left a message asking him to meet him at his mansion soon. By the time he hung up, the team he had sent to retrieve Ami had returned.

As they tied her up in a chair and emptied her pockets, Eriol gasped seeing the card they had placed on the table along with a watch, something that looked like a PDA and Ami's transformation pen that looked like a golden trinket to the normal eye. Eriol's face hardened as he studied the time card, and frowned as he felt the power seep through the golden object. Not yet knowing whether she was on the good side or the bad side, he looked at his men and said firmly, "Inform me when she wakes up," and walked away pondering on why she might have had the card.

* * *

The next day, Usagi was walking home quietly. Her shoulders were drooped and her head was down. "This isn't fair!" she muttered to herself, "It's Friday evening, new moon is tonight, I got another F in a test and those stupid nightmares have been plaguing me all day. To top it off, Ami hasn't responded to my email at all. Life isn't fair."

Sighing softly, she continued to walk down the path as she bumped into someone in front of her. "I'm sorry" she muttered as she stepped aside and continued walking when she heard, "Not seeing where you're going again meatball head?"

She just shrugged again to that and kept walking. Touya frowned at her response. "That's weird. She never lets anyone call her meatball head." Looking down at his sister he said, "Go home directly. I'll be there soon." When Sakura nodded her head, Touya went after Usagi.

Walking beside her he asked, "Something bothering you? It's kinda deflating to see you so depressed."

Usagi shrugged again as tears gathered in her eyes. Still keeping her head down she muttered, "You can't fix it. Just leave me alone."

Frowning more, Touya grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. With his fingers, he gently grabbed her chin and lifted her face so that he could see her. He gasped softly at the bags under her eyes and the tears in her eyes. Having never seen her in such depression, wanting to cheer her up, he led her towards an ice cream parlor, "Tell you what, why don't I buy you an ice cream and you tell me what's bothering you? Perhaps I can help you."

'Oh geez, what am I doing offering to buy ice cream to meatball head? Then again, I'd probably do the samething if Sakura was in such a mood,' he thought as he led them towards the nearest ice cream parlor.

When Usagi didn't order anything, Touya ordered a large strawberry milkshake for her and grabbed a table for them. Placing the milkshake in front her, he took her hand in his and gently stroked it in an effort to sooth her.

It had been over a year since a male outside of her family was so gentle with her. Tears overwhelmed her as Touya's touch reminded her of Mamoru. Sniffling softly, unable to hold back her tears anymore, she hugged Touya tightly wanting some comfort. At a loss, he just patted her shoulder as Usagi cried on him, feeling slightly embarrassed as people stared at them.

When Usagi finally calmed down, he scooted away from her and pushed her milkshake towards her. "You might want to finish that," he said wiping away her tears and handing her Kleenex for her nose.

Once her nose was clear, Usagi gave him a small smile and took a sip of her drink, "You see, I emailed an old friend of mine last night. She hasn't replied to me yet. I feel like they have abandoned me. Also had stupid nightmares all night long and to top it off, I had another F in a test today. It's all so depressing!"

Touya gave her a smile as he was reminded of his sister Sakura at that moment. Without thinking what he was doing, Touya placed a small kiss on Usagi's forehead, his hand on her head as he whispered softly, "Don't worry. Your friends were probably just busy."

Usagi looked up at him, blushing at the kiss and the warm hand on her head. Touya's face turned red as well as he realized what he had just done and quickly removed his hand from her head. It was at that moment that they noticed someone was standing next to their table glaring at them. They looked up to see that it was none other than Nakuru with a very angry face.

"Touya! How dare you do this! You're buying stuff for that…that…bimbo! How could you do this to me!" Nakuru cried out loud, making it sound like Touya was cheating on her.

Usagi finished her milkshake as she watched Nakuru throw a fit. Shaking her head she looked at Touya who was looking almost ill at the fit Nakuru was throwing. Usagi laughed softly, feeling much better now than she had all day. Sliding out of the booth, she grabbed Touya's hand and asked, "Walk me home?"

Wanting to get out of the place, Touya immediately agreed and grabbing Usagi's hand, he rushed out of the ice cream parlor, leaving Nakuru angry. Usagi looked over her shoulder and mouthed the words "I won" at Nakuru as they made their exit. Seething in anger, Nakuru left the place, determined to make Touya hers again.

* * *

A/N: I know the chapter is still not done! However I have to stop it here, that way its gonna be a fresh start for the new moon! Remember comments, and flames are always welcome. 


	12. Chapter 12: Enemy

A/N: Merry Christmas and happy holidays and a very happy new year to all of you guys. Hope you enjoy the chapter As always, do comment!

* * *

Chibi-Usa groaned in pain as she slowly came to. Blinking her eyes slowly she looked around to make sure she had reached the temple. Sighing softly she closed her eyes again. She had to tell the others what had happened, how horrible the situation was back at home. However, Rei had just stepped out to get some fresh bandages and had no idea Chibi-Usa was awake. By the time Rei returned, Chibi-Usa had returned to her sleep without being able to tell them her story. 

Meanwhile, the search for Diana had gone successfully. Makoto found the little kitten in the same condition they found Chibi-Usa, battered, bruised and bloodied. Quickly wrapping the kitten in her arms, she called the gang. She was able to transmit the message to Mina and Rei, but for some reason she didn't know Makoto couldn't get Ami to answer. Thinking Ami might still be busy doing research and completely unaware of the rest of the world, she took Diana to her house to treat the kitten. She only hoped that Diana would make it alive from this ordeal.

* * *

Eriol watched in surprise as the watch he had removed from his prisoner start ringing. However, he didn't answer it right away. After all, it could be a communicator or it could be some deadly device that would destroy everything around it if it were opened. But curiosity got the better of him and he was about to flip it open when the insistent ringing stopped.

* * *

It was an hour later that the veterinarian had finished treating Diana and Makoto was finally able to take her to her house. On the way to her house Makoto decided that it would be better if Diana stayed at Rei's place. After all, Chibi-Usa might ask for her kitten when she awoke. 

Once she reached the temple she was surprised to find Mina already talking to Rei about Chibi-Usa's health. "Hey guys. I brought Diana over. The doctor ordered plenty of rest for her and I thought it would be beneficial for both Chibi-Usa and Diana if they stayed together. I hope you don't mind Rei," Makoto said as she placed the kitten in a basket next to Chibi-Usa's futon.

"Oh, of course not. It's a good idea. By the way, have you talked to Ami yet?" Rei asked as she leaned down to stroke the kitten's head. "Its time to change Chibi-Usa's bandages again," she said as she started unwrapping the blood soaked bandages.

"I wasn't able to get a hold of Ami an hour ago. Perhaps she is finished with her research by now. I'll try calling her again," Makoto said flipping open her communicator. Before she could establish the contact, all three girls felt the evil vibes pass overhead. Holding their breath in silence, they were ready to transform if need arose. However, the evil shadow that passed over the temple did not stop, which meant it didn't sense any power from the temple. They sighed in relief as the shadow passed away, but yelped in surprise when the power went out, leaving the girls in dark.

"Oh jeez, this is great. How am I supposed to change the bandages now?" Rei muttered as she lit a fire.

"I'll get the bandages," Mina volunteered as she headed out of the room with a candle.

"Lets hope we get a hold of Ami now, if the power is gone at her place too she can't continue with her research, which means she should answer now," Makoto flipped open the communicator. "Ami-chan, come in. Are you there, we found Diana, so now we need you to track down the princess," Makoto said into the communicator.

* * *

Eriol could feel the evil shadow pass overhead as well and was peeved when the power went out. What were the electricity people getting paid for if the power went out like that? And to his frustration, it did not return immediately. Sighing softly, he lit a candle waiting for the generator to kick in. Realizing it will be easier for his prisoner to escape if she is awake, he was about to call in for more guards at the door when the watch started ringing again. 

This time, without hesitation he flipped open the communicator and answered the call. After all, Ami was in his custody and her friends need to know that it isn't fun and games to be meddling with Reed's business. However, when he opened the channel, what he saw horrified him. He saw a small room full of shadows cast by an eerie firelight. He was barely able to make out the face that stood up front. But what caught his attention was a small girl whimpering in pain in the background and he was able to make out the blood and wounds on the girl's body, while another creature with long hair was leaning over the little child.

"Your friend Ami will not be able to answer your call," he said into the communicator, an angry sneer crossing his lips, making him look scary in candle light.

* * *

Makoto gasped in horror as she saw what she thought was the face of the enemy. She saw a young man sneer in cruelty and pleasure. He was surrounded by darkness and a single candle illuminated his domain. She couldn't make out his facial features as they were clouded by the darkness, but she did see his glasses glint evilly. As soon as Makoto heard him speak, she closed the channel and turned to Rei and Mina who just walked in. 

"Girls I think we are in trouble. It looks like the bad guys have captured Ami, which would explain why she didn't answer us before," Makoto said with a pale face. As she finished speaking, the power returned and Rei, worried as she might be, she finished dressing Chibi-Usa's wounds, which were healing pretty fast.

* * *

Eriol who had the wrong impression of the girls assumed Ami was with the bad guys as well and was furious that anyone could do such horrible things to little children. His anger grew as a guard came to inform him that his prisoner was awake. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down before he went to knock on the door where he held Ami. 

Ami came awake in a strange room. As she sat up on the bed, she groaned and rubbed her head where a small bump had formed. Frowning, she looked around the large room. By the furnishing, she decided that the owner must be loaded, but she wasn't sure why she was kidnapped. Once she was sure she could stand on her own feet without falling, she headed to the door. When she opened the door, the guards did not let her step out, informing her that she had to wait inside for the master's orders.

She went back inside and remembered that she had been holding the "Time" card before they barged in. Ami looked around the bed and the side tables, but found no card. Of course, she wasn't expecting to find the card anyway. She walked to the window to see if she could escape, but the windows were barred, no surprise there. She started pacing the room in frustration as she realized that her transformation pen and her communicator were also confiscated. She had no way of contacting her friends now. When she heard a knock on the door, she took a deep breath and seating herself on the couch regally, she answered the knock with a "You may enter."

Eriol was surprised by such a command. He was sure she could be cowering in her shoes. After all, she was in the enemy's domain. He was more surprised to see her seated so regally and looking calm, and poised. Without showing his surprise, he sat down opposite her and placed her communicator watch on the coffee table.

"I would like to know who you and your friends are and why you are torturing little children like that?" Eriol asked as he leaned against the cushion, watching her expressions.

Eriol surprised Ami. She hadn't expected a kid to be the master of this place. However, she too showed no surprise on her face. In fact, she looked devoid of any emotions and expressions. She stared at him silently and raised an eyebrow when a servant brought a tea tray and placed on the table. She was more surprised when Eriol poured a cup of tea and handed the cup to her.

"I had no idea that the enemy was treated in such a manner," Ami said calmly watching the cup of tea. She did not take a sip of it though, assuming it might be laced with some sort of poison or a truth serum. She didn't want to reveal the truth about the princess to the enemy.

After a half hour, neither Ami nor Eriol were able to get any information from the other. Both of them were frustrated, but their frustration was not shown on their faces. "Today is the new moon day. You will accompany me to the park on the west-end. I would like to have a chat with your friends as well. Perhaps they'll be more cooperative and reveal where they are holding the small child," Eriol said.

Ami was surprised by the reference to her friends. 'So he knows about them and about Chibi-Usa. It is obvious he is after Chibi-Usa now. There is no way I am going to let that happen. I'm sure the others won't reveal the location as well, but we have to be on our guard. If only I had a way to contact them to warn of the danger. I'll just have to bide my time and wait for the opportunity to retrieve my items,' Ami thought as she saw Eriol walk out of the room as calmly as he had entered.

* * *

"Good work Nishi. We now know the locations we wanted. Everything is set for the night. Do not mess up. Our lord is so close to awakening," a male voice commented. The person named Nishi bowed to the man commanding him. 

"I'll complete my task and arrange the field for the next moon. No mistakes will be made tonight," Nishi bowed to the man again and walked out of the dark chamber.

The man laughed as he saw the ball of energy glowing brightly in the center of the chamber. He ignored the woman who was illuminated by light. She cried for the souls trapped in the giant ball. She was powerless to help. Her blue eyes filled with tears, her white dress in tatters and her beautiful golden-white hair now a messy mass. She watched the man in black laugh and her sadness grew. How can he do such an evil thing! What happened to him! She had no answers to them. All she hoped now was that her little princess had reached safety.

* * *

A/N: I know, short chapter, but can't help it. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! 


	13. Chapter 13: Dinner with Princess

A/N: Thanks for your comments guys. I really appreciate them. Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you all enjoyed yours.

Warning: Touya OOC and so is Usagi…a bit.

* * *

While the senshi and Eriol were misunderstanding each other, Usagi was being walked back home by Touya. Like the gentleman he was, he politely dropped her off at her door and was about to go to his home. Usagi however had other ideas and with a small smile, she stopped him from going with a tug on his shirt sleeve. When he stopped, Usagi stood on her tip-toes and still smiling, she kissed his cheek. Blushing at her own daring move, she whispered softly, "Thank you for the ice cream. You helped me lift my spirits up. I hope you had as much fun as I did." 

When Touya stood there staring at her open-mouthed, she laughed and turned to go inside, "I'll see you around Touya," she called as she closed her door.

Touya was blushing, uncharacteristic of him, he knew that, but he didn't know how to respond to that. After all, nobody but his sister kissed him like that. Of course, he did compare Usagi to his sister. It was still a little different. Hoping that Nakuru hadn't followed them and saw that kiss, he walked to his house next door.

Nakuru who had been following them since the ice cream parlor almost stopped breathing when she saw Usagi kiss Touya. "How dare she! First she mocks me saying that was a date and that she won and now she dares kiss Touya. This will not be taken lightly!" Nakuru muttered angrily as she watched Usagi run up to her door and close it and Touya walk to his home blushing like a school girl.

She was about to follow Touya when her cell rang. Cursing under her breath, she answered the call as the caller-id said it was from Eriol. Listening to his brief message, she turned to walk away from Kinomoto's household. Her face was grim as she recalled the message she received from Eriol. They had a member of the enemy in their custody. Eriol had told her that he will be doing an interrogation once the girl had come to. He had also informed her that he'll be calling the others and they should meet once before they headed out to the park.

When Touya reached home, the phone was ringing. Grumbling, he answered the phone and was irritated to find that it was one of his sister's friends. Having just come in, he assumed Sakura was up in her room and muttered into the phone, "Sakura will not be able to answer the phone. You can leave a message and I'll be sure to give it to her." Touya became even more irritable when Eriol left a message saying, 'just tell her I called.'

When the call ended, Touya went up to check on his sister, Sakura was sitting at her desk doing her homework. Frowning at that, but not daring to disturb her sudden enthusiasm to listen to him, Touya said from the doorway, "Eriol called. He asked you to call back." Seeing Sakura get up from her desk Touya waved a hand at her, "Don't bother calling him until you've done your work. I'll not be giving you the phone until then." Hearing Sakura groan as he closed the door behind him, Touya smiled, "Now that sounds more like my sister."

Usagi had felt the evil presence pass overhead as well. Her mother and brother were not home and her father hadn't come back from work yet, leaving Usagi all alone when the presence passed over. Feeling uneasy, she made her way to the Kinomoto house.

Knocking on the door, she waited for someone to open the door for her. Her uneasiness grew heavier as the evil presence lingered slightly overhead.

Touya was making dinner for them when he felt a sensation pass over him. Feeling uneasy, he was about to go check on Sakura when he heard a knock. Sighing softly, thinking it will be fine to check on Sakura in a minute he went to answer the door. "What do you want meatball head?" he asked leaning against the door, not inviting her in.

"Umm, well…nobody is home at my place and I…" Usagi wondered how you'd describe the evil presence to a layman. After all, nobody believed that supernatural powers or extra-terrestrials existed in this universe, "uh…I got lonely…"

Raising an eyebrow Touya moved aside letting her in. He could tell by her facial expression that she was scared. He was sure that she had felt that presence too. Touya was relieved however when she just said that she was lonely since nobody was home. How was he supposed to have reacted if she had admitted that she felt the presence? It would have been awkward and he'd probably have to tell her about his vision too…which he had no intention of revealing to anybody.

"Well, come in then," he said walking back to the kitchen and turning off the stove. As the evil shadow passed from the area, they both let out a sigh of relief. Usagi was about to be seated when the power went out. Letting out a scream at the sudden darkness, she jumped on Touya, hugging as if her life depended on that hug.

Touya's arms came around her instinctively as he braced himself against the counter, so that they won't fall flat on their faces. He didn't know what to say to her as this was the first time a girl had jumped into his arms like that, other than his sister when she was very little. His face felt hot from embarrassment as Usagi continued to hold him.

When the power didn't return immediately, he cleared his throat and said, hoping his voice sounded normal, "Uh, if you let go of me, I will light the stove and we can find the torch and some candles."

Usagi shook her head against his chest, "No, I'm afraid of the dark."

Touya's heart pounded in his chest as Usagi shook her head. Sighing softly at her response, he leaned over her a bit to reach the stove. He could smell her shampoo in her hair and closing his eyes for a second, he took a deep breath. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly turned on the stove and the small light that emanated from it illuminated the area very little.

As Usagi noticed that it wasn't completely dark anymore, she became aware of how she was clutching to his shirt. Blushing suddenly, she took a small step back. Her heart raced as she realized that Touya was leaning over her slightly and that his arms were around her. Not knowing what to say to him, she looked away from him and slowly, reluctantly released her hold on him.

Sensing her release, he let go of her and watched her take a few steps away from her. "Uh, if you'd like you can have dinner here tonight, since your family isn't home or anything at the moment."

Usagi was surprised by his invitation, but she didn't dare reject it. It was a rare day that Touya would actually invite anyone for dinner voluntarily unless it was Yuki. Blushing again at the invitation, she accepted, "I'd love that. I am hungry," she winced inwardly, 'I had to say I was hungry, it probably sounded like I was a glutton or something.'

But when Touya didn't laugh or ridicule her, Usagi relaxed. Touya found a couple of candles in a drawer and lighting them, he set them on the table. Turning off the stove and setting up the table, he looked at Usagi. She looked ethereal in the candle light, like a golden goddess. He remembered the smell of her hair and blushing pulled a chair for her, "Please, have a seat. It's nothing special. Just a simple meal."

Usagi blushed and sat down. She inhaled once and her mouth watered at the aroma. She could even smell Touya's unique scent as he pushed her chair in and sat down. It made her shiver a little. She watched him take a seat and thought how lovely it was to be held by such a man. Tall, dark and certainly mysterious and handsome. The candle light made his face glow with pleasure, at least that was the illusion she thought she saw.

As they ate the dinner in amicable silence, not yelling at each other, neither of them remembered the fact that Sakura was supposed to have been upstairs and a little girl would have screamed at the darkness. It had slipped Touya's mind completely. And Momoru was the last person on her mind at the moment. She had completely forgotten that it was the new moon and that she had asked Ami to find out about Reed. For a few precious minutes, neither of them had any worries.

The dinner was over quickly to their regret and Usagi helped clean up the dishes. She put away the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and closing the lid she turned around and gasped in surprise. Touya was so close behind her. Usagi's blood roared in her ears and her face turned crimson as she caught a glimpse of Touya's chest through his shirt that had somehow come undone at a few top buttons.

As Touya watched her put away the dishes, she seemed so attractive. He had forgotten for a moment how annoying she really was to him. Unable to resist, he went to her. She turned around just as he came to a stop behind her. His breath caught in his chest as he looked into her blue eyes. His heart was racing once again and the blood was rushing through his body like hot lava.

Watching her expression, he slowly raised his hand to caress her cheek. When she didn't flinch away from him, he cupped her cheeks and slowly moved closer to her. She still didn't move away from him or protest as she watched his face come close to hers. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The kiss took them both by surprise. They hadn't expected such passion from the other. However the kiss was only a small surprise. The kiss established a connection between them. The blood of royalty called to the blood of the masters. Touya, whether he knew that his sister was the current controller of the cards, groaned in surprise as he was unable to break the contact.

Both Touya and Usagi were hurled into her vision. Her nightmare, where it's completely dark and children cried for help. This time however, she along with Touya saw a lady in white tattered dress, with platinum-blonde hair cry for those poor lost souls. They saw another child's soul being added to the giant ball of energy. The lady looked sad and confused, as if she knew the person who was doing this to the children. The soul that was being fed escaped at the moment and as if sensing the lady's goodness flew towards her. When the lady touched the soul, it took shape of Sakura.

Touya and Usagi were both surprised by it and with a cry of denial, they broke apart. Reality came crashing in on them. Tears clung to their eyes. "Mother," Usagi cried at the same time Touya whispered, "Sakura."

They both looked at each other as they realized that they hadn't experienced the vision alone. They realized then that the power was back on and that it was quite late at night. It was completely dark outside and glancing at the clock told her that she had lost track of time.

Suddenly, Touya ran up the stairs yelling, "Sakura!"

As they both reached Sakura's room, they were panting with dread. Touya tried the door and it was locked from the inside. Letting out a stream of curses, he kicked started kicking the door to get it open. "Isn't there another key?" Usagi asked, her voice filled with worry for Sakura.

Usagi's question penetrated Touya's frightened brain and calming himself a bit, he left to fetch a set of keys. When he opened the door, both Usagi and Touya spilled into an empty room with an open window where the flimsy curtains were gliding in the night air. "No…" he whispered as he stared at the empty room.

Usagi could feel Touya's dread. She'd probably feel the same if something happened to Chibi-Usa. She then said softly, "What if they got Sakura too?"

Touya turned to Usagi and growled softly, "Who? Who got Sakura? You know something about whats going on around here, don't you? Speak up, or else I'm going to be very mad."

Usagi gulped seeing the anger in Touya's eyes, "It's the dark forces. I know it probably sounds crazy to you, but there are evil forces that are not bound by the earth's laws of physics. The events that have transpired lately, with the children falling into unexplainable comas, are connected to the new evil force that has descended on earth. I'm not sure who they are or what they want at this moment. I just know that tonight is new moon and I probably know where they will strike next."

Touya moved towards her dangerously, "And? Where will they be tonight?"

"At the park on the west side of the city. I'm positive its that park they'll be striking tonight," Usagi said as she glanced at the clock and started to turn away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Touya grabbed her arm roughly.

"It's already past 10. We only have two hours to get to the park. They'll strike at midnight. That's when all the previous attacks have occurred."

Touya followed her outside, "How do you know so much about this?"

Usagi hesitated, "There are things I can't explain to you."

Touya's eyes blazed with anger again as he grabbed her roughly and hauled her in front of him, "You tell me all I want to know or you're not going anywhere."

Seeing the determination in touya's eyes, Usagi knew that she either had to tell him the truth or she'll probably be locked up in a room somewhere and that won't be of any use to anybody. She had a feeling that she couldn't afford to stay behind tonight. Something told her that she'd find some sort of clue to their enemy tonight.

Taking a deep breath, Usagi said softly, "I want you to promise me to keep this a secret."

"Fine, fine. I promise."

"I don't know if you've ever heard of the Moon Kingdom. It literally is the kingdom on moon. There was a time when the people on moon lived a prosperously. But one day the kingdom was attacked without warning by evil forces. The queen sent her daughter along with four of her companions. She ordered four more of her companions to stay behind to fight the evil. The princess and her companions made their way to earth with the help of Clow Reed, a sorcerer. The fight with the evil was lost on the moon, but when they attacked earth, earth defended itself. Earth has been attacked many times by other evil forces inorder to eliminate the princess and her companions. I'm positive this is one more attempt to draw the princess and her companions into battle so that they can be eliminated. At this point, we just don't know who the ring-master of the evil forces is this time. And I'm guessing that they have involved the sorcerer's magic somehow."

"How do you know so much about this?" Touya asked suspiciously.

Taking another deep breath, Usagi brought out her brooch and transformed in front of him. Touya stood there mouth open in astonishment at the transformation of Usagi into Sailor Moon. "Because I am the princess, I know so much about this," she said looking at him.

* * *

A/N: So, what do you think? I know Touya and probably Usagi too were totally OOC. But I thought since its Valentine's day and everything, it would be fun to have some tension between them and it felt like it was a good time someone find out about the princess. As always, I welcome your comments and flames. 


	14. Chapter 14: Sakura

A/N: That's what you get when you write a chapter at office instead of working like you're supposed to! Bad wordings and stating the obvious!

Hmm…smaller chapters or bigger chapters pulling my hair got to find a median…some point where readers won't feel its either too short or too long…

Oh, don't worry Arbitercosmos, this story won't die, if you notice when I actually published it first, you'd understand that I'm very _very_ lazy and procrastinate a lot, but I have no intention of letting it die. I have kept it alive for 4 years now…it would be a shame if I stopped writing now.

* * *

After Touya had informed her about the call, Sakura has snuck out of the house through her window. She knew Touya would probably get mad at her for sneaking away like that, but if Eriol called, it must have been important. On the way over, she stopped at a public phone to find out what it was that Eriol wanted to tell her.

"I don't want to sneak away from Touya if it isn't that important," Sakura muttered as she dialed the number. Sighing in frustration, she hung up when there was no answer after several tries. Wondering why Eriol wasn't answering her call, she tried Syaoran's house. She was relieved when Li answered the call.

"Did Eriol call you?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. He mentioned that your brother wouldn't let him talk to you," Li commented wondering what that was all about.

"Well, for some reason he has been acting way too protective lately. I don't know the reason, but I think all these children falling into coma have spooked him. He has become even stricter…wants me straight home after school and doesn't want me to leave the house once I get there"

"Maybe he knows something?" Li dismissed Sakura's brother from the conversation quickly, "Anyway, Eriol called to let us know that he has someone in his custody who might be our enemy."

Sakura frowned, "Oh, so we can probably question them to find out what they know…right? Are you guys heading to Eriol's place?"

"We were thinking of it, but Eriol suggested we all meet before we head off to the park."

"Where are we meeting then?"

"He didn't say where he wants us to meet, so Yue and I were thinking that perhaps we can decide the place and let everyone else know where we'll meet. That way Eriol can deal with the enemy and not worry about little details. So, anyway, we thought we should meet on the terrace of …" Li rambled off the name of a high rise building near the park they were to meet at.

"Alright then. I'll see you guys there in an hour," Sakura promised, excited at the prospect of finally being able to meet their enemy face to face.

"Right, I'll call Eriol to let him know the place."

As Sakura hung up the phone, she felt the oppressive presence of evil pass overhead. Clutching the key hanging around her neck, she shuddered as a chill ran down her spine. She sighed in relief as the evil didn't seem to pause for anything; instead it just kept moving on. "Maybe it doesn't know I'm down here, maybe it hasn't sensed my presence."

When the evil shadow didn't even pause, Sakura wondered where it might be going. Chewing her lip for a second, torn between following the shadow and meeting the gang, she stood there pondering for a second. Taking a deep breath, she muttered to herself, "I'll take a chance. There still over an hour left to meet the guys and the place isn't too far. I just might find more about this enemy and I might be able to contribute to the discussion they'll have when they all meet."

Making her decision, she started following the evil shadow when the world around her was plunged into complete darkness. Clamping a hand around her mouth to stifle her startled scream at the sudden darkness, she took deep breaths, "It's just a power outage, nothing major. The power should come back soon enough." She dug into her deck and withdrew a card, "Thankfully this isn't one of the moon cards, so it should work just fine."

Saying so, she chanted the words to bring out the power of the 'light' card. Controlling the power of the card carefully, she was able to light the way as she ran down the streets following the evil. When running seemed to tire her, she finally pulled her 'fly' card and flew after the shadow. As the shadow neared the Tokyo Tower, Sakura gasped. There were minor reports in the news on how tourists didn't feel like going up the tower anymore. She wondered if it was somehow connected to the evil she had followed.

Unsure on how to proceed, she landed near the tower staring at it. Though it was faint, she could feel the presence of evil all around the tower. It amazed her how clueless everyone can be when it came to danger. Taking a deep breath, she started towards the tower. The closer she got to it, the more she wanted to stay away from it.

Folding her fingers into a fist, fighting the dread filling in her heart and mind, she fought to move forward. The light emitted by the card was dimming as well and for reasons she didn't know she couldn't force more power into the card to light her way. Once she was directly underneath the tower, the card failed to light her way further.

Blinking at the sudden darkness, she stood still letting her eyes get used to the darkness around her. It was then she noticed that the darkness around her was different. It felt unnatural to her. Not sure how to explain what she was feeling, she started taking a step forward. Sakura felt as if, even though technically she was at the Tokyo tower, she was pretty sure physically she was in a completely different place. "Alternate dimension? Universe?" Sakura muttered as she looked around, "I'm sure this isn't the base of the tower."

She came to the conclusion because of subtle differences, like the air quality and the darkness. Yes it was dark, yet she was able to make out objects in her path. "Besides my cards aren't working here…" she talked to herself as she kept going deeper. The closer she got to the evil, the faster her heart beat.

As she made a turn, she almost gasped loudly at the site in front of her. There was a single ray of sunlight beaming into the place, coming from some unknown window. There was a giant ball of glowing light in the center. Frowning, she took a step closer, "Oh dear, that isn't light…there are things floating around in that ball…" she muttered.

When she heard a moan from somewhere close, she looked around her. Covering her mouth from letting out another squeak, she ran to the woman with platinum-blonde hair. When Sakura touched the woman's cheek, the lady opened her blue eyes. When the lady saw Sakura, she gasped in alarm and pain, "You shouldn't be here child, get out of here before he notices you!"

"You should get out of here too, you're hurt! I'll try to get some help," Sakura started to leave when the woman held her hand.

"You don't understand. Normal human beings cannot enter this place. Only those with magic in them can come in. You should run and save yourself before they find you. I can't see another child fall for their evil purpose," the lady said releasing Sakura's hand.

"Who are you anyway?" Sakura asked as she noticed the broken crown on the woman's head.

"I am Serenity, queen of the moon kingdom. But that is not important. Please go…" the queen begged, trying to push Sakura towards the door she had entered from. "And if you do find your way out my child, find the senshi, tell them where the evil is…they should be able to take care of this. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out who the senshi are…"

"I think I have a fair idea of who they are," Sakura said, awed that she was actually speaking with the queen herself. 'Wait till I tell the others, won't they get a kick out of this' she thought. "But, what is that giant ball in the middle of the room?"

Serenity's eyes turned sad and lined with tears, "That ball contains the pure souls of the children. The more they collect, the brighter the ball gets."

Sakura's eyes went wide, "So that's why the children are falling into unexplainable coma. Their souls were pulled out of their bodies before their time and trapped in here…"

"Yes. Sakura, now go. Please find them and let them know about this place," Serenity whispered weakly.

"How do you know my name?"

"That isn't important now." Serenity said as she pushed Sakura towards the door again, "Oh and tell them the man behind the scenes is none other than – "

"Telling tales my dear queen?" said a voice from the other side of the dark chamber.

Serenity gasped and tried to put Sakura behind her, even though trying to stand straight hurt like hell.

"Uh uh uh, you can't do that. That is one of the magical children. How else would she have been able to enter the place," said the man as he took slow deliberately menacing steps. "Foolish child, haven't you ever heard the expression 'Curiosity killed the cat'?"

Sakura found herself rooted to the place, unable to move her legs.

"Too bad she isn't the one we're looking for. But she'll do nicely in the collection," the man said waving towards the ball. When Serenity refused to move away from Sakura, the man summoned an energy ball in his hands and hurled it towards the queen.

Serenity cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor as the ball hit her, "Please don't do this. I know you're not evil in your heart. Fight whatever it is that's causing you to do things like this."

"You're wrong!" yelled the man hurling another energy ball at Serenity and then one at Sakura.

Sakura screamed in pain as the ball hit her. Her child's body could not cope with the pain and soon she collapsed as well. Then she felt as if someone was trying to pull her out of her own body. She was conscious, yet unable to stop whoever was doing it to her. She could hear the queen scream as Sakura felt herself being completely forced out of her body. All she was aware of was that the queen had somehow tried to help her.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Serenity had interfered with the man's plans at the last moment. Summoning all the power left in her body, she let out an attack. It wasn't strong to stop the man from doing what he was, but it had distracted him enough. Serenity saw that Sakura's soul had detached from her body. However, her soul wasn't just a blob like the other children's. Was it because the extraction was done in a different place, under different circumstances or was it because Sakura had magic? Serenity had no answers to it. All she knew was that Sakura's soul retained the image of her body.

Serenity didn't know how to return the soul to the body and even if she had, she wouldn't have been able to do it due to her weakened state and also due to the fact that the man was now hurling energy balls at Serenity with anger. Taking each hit bravely and groaning in increasing pain, all she could hope now was that Sakura had enough sense to flee the place.

It took a minute for Sakura to let her mind adjust to the fact that she doesn't have a body anymore. When she had oriented herself, she noticed that Serenity was being attacked. She was about to go help when she realized that without a body she wouldn't be able to help. Noticing that the man was distracted, Sakura flew out of the chamber and back the way she had come in, hoping against hope that she would find a way out.

To her relief, after blindly running in unknown direction, she was able to tell the difference between the inside of that place and the outside, the 'real world' as she came to term it. The darkness was still enveloping the city. When a clock somewhere struck eleven, she gasped. They were all supposed to meet at that building in the west side right now to discuss the enemy. She hoped that she wouldn't be too late as she flew towards the building.

* * *

Eriol met Li, Yue and Keroberos at the designated place. He noticed that they had a clear view of the park and all the possible hiding places. They waited for fifteen minutes for Sakura to show up. When she didn't show up, they started to get worried.

"I thought you said you told Sakura when and where we're meeting," said Eriol pacing the floor.

"Yes I did. I clearly remembering tell her that because as soon as we hung up I felt an evil presence pass above," Li muttered watching Eriol pace.

"Then why isn't she here?"

Sakura landed on the terrace and said, "Hi guys. Sorry I kept you waiting."

"I don't know why she isn't here. We could call her house and see if she forgot the time or something," Li suggested.

Sakura wondered why nobody was responding to her and speaking as if she wasn't there. It miffed her that they wouldn't take notice of her.

Eriol nodded and whipping out a cell phone, he dialed Kinomoto residence. Muttering softly, he ended the call and turned to the others, "Nobody is answering the phone at her house."

"Guys, this isn't funny. You're all spooking me now," Sakura said and went to pull on Li's hand. She gasped when her hand went through Li's body. She panicked for a moment, but calmed down slightly when she remembered that her body wasn't with her anymore. "Of course, that would mean, they probably can't see or hear me. Oh no! How am I going to tell them who the enemy was? What should I do now?" Sakura was near tears.

Time was growing short as they all tried to figure out what might have happened to Sakura.

* * *

While they were pondering their new situation, the senshi had decided that it would be best if someone stayed behind to guard Chibi-Usa. Upon mutual understanding, Rei stayed behind while Makoto and Mina headed towards the west side park. When they arrived at the park as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, they could feel the presence of another power. They could also identify that Ami's objects were with them.

Frowning, they stilled trying to determine where the power was emitting from. Once determined, they headed to the top of the building, preparing themselves for the worst.

Ami was watching everyone carefully, wondering what type of bad guys these were, if they couldn't keep track of their own. It also made her wonder why an intelligent kid like Li would be part of this evil. What really confused her was the power emitting from Yue. She could swear that power felt familiar, yet she wasn't sure how it could be familiar when this was the first time she laid eyes on him.

* * *

Sailor Moon and Touya arrived at the park thirty minutes to midnight. She could tell that three of the senshi were present. She could also feel the presence of another power. "I know my friends are here. I can feel the presence of another power," she told Touya softly. "I don't know if the other power is evil. I can't feel any traces of evil in it. However, one of my friends seem to be with them right now."

"Then we should go investigate who they are," Touya whispered back.

"Should we? I mean, I don't want the others to find me yet!"

Sailor moon didn't have time to say anything else as a blast could be heard and seen on top of a building.

She gasped, "That's where I felt the power from."

"Well then, no time to waste!" Touya shouted as he ran towards the building.

* * *

A/N: So, there it is. Chapter 14. As always, comments, reviews and flames are welcome Do keep me motivated to write soon! 


	15. Chapter 15: United

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. As always I've been late in bringing you guys the next chapter. But what I can I say? Work does take a lot of time!

Oh yeah, I forgot if Diana is able to speak or not in the manga and anime, but I'm giving her speech here, so if Diana doesn't speak for real, you guys will have to adjust to this.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well.

* * *

Nishi sat down at a bench in the park. 'Just an hour to go,' he thought with a smirk on his face. 'I'll do such a good job that, my lord will send me on the next one as well. After all, it will be the very last call here,' his thoughts continued.

He frowned as he felt a spike in the power levels around the park. Wondering if he had been found, careful to not let any of his evil power be leaked, he searched for where the power was coming from. Once determining the building, he quickly leaped from one building to another and hiding in the shadows and hiding his power, he spied on everyone who had gathered on the rooftop.

* * *

Mina and Makoto determined where Ami was being held by following the weak signal emitting from Ami's objects and the traces of another power. The closer they got to the building, the stronger they felt the power. Just like the rest of the city, the rooftop was also covered in darkness. With no moon to cast some light, the senshi had to rely on their senses to determine the location of where they were feeling the power.

Having magic in their blood also helped determine where Ami was standing. Once they had determined that the two guys who were talking about something were away from Ami, Makoto let out a lightning attack as a warning.

Immediately going on defensive Yue, Li and Eriol spread out over the rooftop. All the three guys were now sure that Ami was the enemy and that her evil friends had come to her rescue and that is the reason they were being attacked.

Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw Makoto let out her attack and then Yue attack Makoto in return. "Stop you guys. You aren't supposed to fight like this. You guys aren't enemies. You should be helping each other catch the bad guys."

When her pleas were heard by none, she was more frustrated. "Somebody help me!" Sakura screamed again, as she fell to her knees crying, trying desperately to make them understand that this wasn't right.

Nishi's smile grew as he watched the senshi break out into a fight with the 'Clow clan' as he had come to call them. He had to bite on his lip to keep from laughing out loud when he saw Sakura scream for help. 'Well well well, what do we have here? This one's soul retained the shape, which means she has magic in her blood. Perhaps I can capture her before I leave here today. But this sure is interesting news,' he decided as he went back to the park silently.

'My lord will definitely love it if I tell him that neither the senshi nor the clow clan has identified us yet,' Nishi thought as the small children began to gather at the park. He was glad that everyone else seemed to be so busy fighting each other that his work will go smoothly without a hitch.

* * *

Sailor Moon stopped midway as she stared at the park entrance in the darkness, "Touya, wait!"

"What is it! We can't stop now! We have to hurry and go to the rooftop," Touya said impatiently.

"I don't think the enemy is on the rooftop. I think that is just a distraction to keep us away from the park," she said torn between going up to the rooftop and running to the park.

"It's not midnight yet, so why would they set up a distraction now?" Touya asked.

"Good point, but its only assumptions that they'll strike at midnight. What if whoever is behind this came here early tonight? What if they changed their strategy and gathering the children before midnight? I feel like we should go to the park. The rooftop maybe just a distraction," she said walking towards the park entrance.

Another blast from the rooftop shattered some windows.

"What if they gathered the children on the rooftop tonight and are fighting whoever confronted them?" Touya asked hurrying behind her.

"Perhaps, but children can't walk all the way up to the rooftop. I'd say it's fair to assume that children will be drawn to parks than high rise buildings. I've a feeling on this Touya. Please trust me, will you?" the moon princess said as they both hurried towards the park entrance.

Even though his gut feeling told him that Sakura was probably on the rooftop, he followed Usagi, not wanting to leave a single girl alone in the middle of night surrounded by complete darkness, even if the said girl had powers to protect herself.

* * *

At the temple, Rei could feel Makoto and Mina's powers swelling and attacking. She only hoped that they would be able to destroy the bad guys. However she had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right with the picture.

As she kept pondering on the feeling, she heard a groan come from where Chibi-Usa was sleeping. Sighing softly, Rei held Chibi-Usa's hand, trying to comfort her.

Diana woke up unexpectedly and started wobbling towards the door. Gently laying Chibi-Usa's hand on the bed, Rei went after Diana, "You shouldn't be walking sweetie, you still need your rest."

Diana winced as Rei picked her up, "She is crying for help."

"Who is crying for help?" Rei frowned.

"I don't know her. I've never even met her," Diana winced again in pain as she spoke, "She needs help though. If we don't go to her now, it will be a disaster."

"Diana, we can't leave Chibi-Usa unprotected," Rei argued, stilling holding onto the kitten.

Frustrated that Rei wouldn't listen to her, Diana scratched her and when Rei yelped in surprise and let go, Diana dashed away from the temple. Grumbling about cats being hard to manage, Rei reached for her communicator and dialed the other three girls.

* * *

Makoto and Mina ignored the call on their communicator as they were busy attacking and defending themselves. Eriol and the guys were too busy attacking the intruders to pay much attention to Ami's communicator. Making sure that she wasn't being watched, Ami inched towards her communicator and transformation pen.

When she was sure that the guys won't notice the missing items in the confusion, she quickly snatched them and opened up her communicator. She was relieved to see Rei's face on the other end, "Rei, I'm so glad to see you. Any updates on Chibi-Usa?"

Rei was happy that she was able to get through to one of the girls. Even more glad to see Ami safe and sound on the other end, "What happened to your attackers? And what is all that noise in the background?"

Ami ducked as debris from the fight flew all over the place, "The girls are fighting off my captors. Although I am not sure if these guys are good or bad. Two of these guys are really kids and there is only one older guy with them. I can't imagine kids doing all the bad things that are going on in the city right now."

Rei nodded her head at the information, "That does sound unlikely, unless the dark side has recruited kids to do the dirty job. Anyway, I called to let you guys know that Diana woke up and when I tried to stop her, she scratched me and took off. I have a feeling she is coming to you guys. She is still in a bad shape, so watch out for her will you? She was saying something about someone needing help and if she didn't go now, there will be a huge disaster."

"Oh, ok. I'll keep an eye out for her. You take care of Chibi-Usa. Oh and one more thing. I don't know if others have noticed it or not yet, but I sense the princess's power nearby. I'm assuming that Usagi is looking into this as well. Perhaps she'll come to us tonight," Ami said ducking again to avoid the debris.

"It's good to know that she has emerged again. Be careful and if she comes to you guys, break it to her gently that Chibi-Usa is hurt. We don't want to upset her much," Rei said, "I should go, Chibi-Usa is in pain again."

"Take care," Ami said closing the communicator and slipping it into her pocket. She was searching making her way away from the fight so that she could transform when she spotted a small shadow that kept moving around to avoid the flying debris.

Gasping, Ami jumped onto the shadow and gently held onto it, "Diana, what are you doing here. You could get hurt in here. You should go back to the temple and get some rest and wait for Chibi-Usa to recover as well."

Diana gasped in pain and took deep breaths as she had run here as fast as she could ignoring the condition her body was in. "Please, can you take me to that corner," Diana said softly nodding towards a corner.

Frowning Ami stared at the corner, "But why? There is nothing there."

Diana frowned, "What do you mean there is nothing there? That poor girl is crying asking for everyone to stop this fight."

Ami's frown grew, "What girl? There is no girl there," she said walking towards the corner.

When they reached the corner, Diana jumped out of Ami's arms and spoke, "Hello, I heard your cry for help. May I ask why you're crying?"

Ami was more surprised to see Diana speak to thin air. Before she could comment on it, she noticed a figure at the park. Shadows were moving in the darkness. She could also feel Usagi moving towards the park as well. When she concentrated what little power she could summon without transforming, she could sense the evil presence in the park.

Meanwhile, Diana transformed to her human form and walked boldly into the middle of the fight, "You guys will have to stop fighting."

Seeing Diana in her human form the senshi immediately stopped attacking, not wanting to attack Diana accidentally. Eriol, Li and Yue stopped their attacks as well seeing a girl, defenseless walk into the middle of the fight.

When everyone had stopped their attacks, Diana spoke weakly, "Sakura says you aren't supposed to be fighting."

The guys immediately turned to Diana, "How do you know Sakura? Where is she?"

"Who is Sakura?" the senshi asked.

"Sakura is standing right next to me. She says the senshi are the good guys. She also says the queen told her that we are all supposed to work together," Diana spoke, transforming into her cat form as her energy was draining quickly and it took lots of energy to maintain her human form.

The guys gasped and the senshi rushed to Diana, "Diana?"

Before anyone can ask more questions, Ami transformed from where she had been standing in the corner looking out into the park, "Everyone, Diana may very well be telling the truth. I don't think these guys are the bad guys. And it also looks like whoever is behind this evil has taken advantage of us fighting here and proceeded to gather the children in the park."

Everyone hurried over to the railing to look out at the park as well, where the children were already collapsing.

"We should hurry. I can't believe we wasted precious time fighting here," Makoto said gathering Diana in one arm.

"We have to ask Diana about Sakura, why she said Sakura was standing right next to her when there was nobody. However, we should postpone that questioning. We should go after this guy in the park for now," Eriol nodded his head.

* * *

Touya and Usagi reached the park just when the last of the children fainted. Nishi grinned seeing them and said, "You're too late princess. You'll not get us tonight. Uh, so that must have been your sister. There is some family resemblance in your features."

Immediately Touya knew he was speaking about Sakura, "What have you done to her!" he demanded walking towards Nishi furiously.

"Oh, I didn't do anything to be honest with you," Nishi said just when Usagi was getting ready to let out an attack, "And I don't have time to play games with you princess. We'll have to meet another time." With that Nishi simply vanished into thin air.

Touya and Usagi sighed in frustration as the bad guy escaped their clutches. Knowing she couldn't do anything now and sensing her friends coming towards the park, Sailor Moon immediately started walking away de-transforming herself. Touya caught up with her as she walked away, "We can't just walk away, perhaps the guy left some clue as to where they're hiding."

"Maybe, but I can't look for them now. I can't face my friends yet. I'm sure they'll be searching for clues as well. So perhaps if you meet with them, they might be able to help you. As for me, I have to get away from here. I need to contact someone," Usagi said walking away, leaving Touya in the park.

The senshi and the guys arrived at the park just as Usagi left from a side entrance. They all saw a man walk towards them and were getting ready to attack when Li cried out, "Stop, I believe that's Touya. That's not the bad guy."

"You're right. That is Touya. Perhaps he has come in search of Sakura as well," Eriol suggested as everyone relaxed.

When Touya caught up with the gang, he stared at Li and Eriol, "Where is Sakura?"

At the question, everyone turned to Diana who had fainted again.

* * *

A/N: So, there it is. I'd love to read your comments and thoughts. I'll try to work on the next chapter soon. So R&R. 


	16. Chapter 16: Unveiling

* * *

A/N: First of all, I'm extremely sorry for taking a year long hiatus from this story. Got back in school and its been keeping me extremely busy!! But don't worry, no matter how long it might take, I'll finish the story…I won't leave this as an incomplete story!

Second, thanks for all your support!

Cristina, You'll just have to wait and see what happened to Mamoru! Coz he just told me himself what happened and if I don't reveal in this chapter what happened to him, perhaps you'll know in the next chapter or two!

So, without further delay, here is the next chapter.

* * *

Nishi dropped down on a knee and produced a bright ball of energy, "My lord, here are the souls from this week."

The small ball of energy was transferred to the bigger ball, hanging in the center of the room. The man let out a laugh and said, "Yes, this is good. Only one more night and we'll be done here." As he spoke he stepped towards the ball of energy, a beam of light hitting his dark clothes and showing off the steely glint of his sky-blue eyes for a second.

"Nishi, I believe you're much more productive than the others. So I want you to go on the next mission as well," another flash of his blue eyes showed off his determination, "since the next one will be extremely crucial, Minami will accompany you."

Nishi cleared his throat. "My lord, I need to report something else."

"What is it?" growled the man irritated.

"The senshi and the Clow clan were fighting at the park and some soul in human form was trying to stop them."

The man's blue eyes narrowed on Nishi, "Did you say the the Clow clan and the senshi were fighting?"

"Yes my lord," Nishi took a step back, suddenly feeling very nervous in presence of his superior.

"Did anyone happen to see you?"

"That is...my lord, someone might have spotted me, but they were too busy fighting...and I didn't leave a trace behind when I left...so I'm sure they can't find our lair," Nishi quickly tried to make amends.

With a burst of anger, the man grabbed Nishi's throat. Nishi gasped for air, "My lord..."

"Forget about you going to the next assignment. Minami can manage by himself," he growled and sent a burst of energy through Nishi's body, letting Nishi's body disintegrate on the spot, without leaving even dust behind. "Soon my little princess...very soon I'll have my little moon under my control again!"

The queen gasped and tried to break free of her bonds, "You can't take my precious daughter! The senshi will guard her well!"

The man laughed and stepped towards the queen, light shining on his face handsome face, revealing his blue eyes and dark hair trimmed neatly. "I don't believe anyone can save Chibi-Usa this time. If Minami can't handle the job, I'll get her myself!" he said with finality.

Serenity let tears flow down her face freely unable to comprehend how or why this man had changed so much.

The man laughed again seeing Serenity's tears, "While you cry here, I have some business to take care of. I need to get back an escapee. The Clow clan girl. She'll be a very nice addition to the energy, don't you think?"

Serenity stared at the man in horror as he disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"Why is everyone looking at an unconscious cat?" Touya demanded angrily when no one answered his question.

Yue cleared his throat, "Well, the cat's name is Diana…"

"I don't care what the cat's name is! I want to know where Sakura is!"

"We're getting there," Eriol interjected, "Diana said Sakura was standing right next to her when we were fighting each other on the rooftop…"

"So, Sakura was with you on the rooftop?"

"Well, we don't know," Li said, "Diana kept saying she was next to her, but we couldn't see anything or anyone next to her. It was just air!"

"What are you guys talking about?"

Jupiter cleared her throat, "We should probably head back to the temple. We can have Rei revive Diana for us and perhaps she'll be able to shed more light in this matter."

Touya took a deep breath to calm himself and gather his patience, "Fine. Let's go wherever you want, as long as I get my answers, I don't care where you guys lead me!"

The others quickly agreed seeing how Touya was hanging onto to his patience and none of them really had any answers to give him. They'll headed back to Rei's temple, Jupiter carrying the unconscious Diana in her arms.

* * *

Sakura followed them until the edge of the park, but for reasons she didn't know, she couldn't cross over the threshold of the park. When she tried to pass the barrier, she felt as if her body was being electrocuted.

"Guys! Don't leave me here!" Sakura cried trying again to touch the barrier, only to be shocked. "Please guys, I don't want to be alone here!"

However, her cries went unheard by the group.

"Well, well, looks like the shield worked. Souls can only enter this place, they can't leave here."

Sakura trembled hearing that voice. She slowly turned around to face the man. "It's you again!"

"Of course, it's me! You weren't expecting someone else, were you?"

Sakura trembled more and tried to inch away from him, but the shield kept her within. "Queen Serenity said you were once a nice guy. Who are you anyway? Why are you doing this to the children?"

"Ah, that's right. We've never been introduced formally. The queen let you escape before we had the pleasure of meeting each other. Well, I'm called Mamoru," the man bowed, his cape sweeping around him.

Sakura gasped, "But, I thought…" she frowned as her voice trailed.

Mamoru laughed, tipping his hat back, "I know you probably have lots of questions. But they'll have to wait until we get back to my lair. Shall we go then?"

Sakura shook her head, "I don't want to go back to that place. I don't want to go with you!"

Mamoru laughed again and flicked his wrist, crushing the human shape of Sakura's soul into a ball of light, "I don't believe you have a choice my dear," he said closing his palms over the ball, capturing Sakura effectively. He then left the park, without anyone else being aware of him.

* * *

It was early morning by the time Usagi reached home. She had been trying to contact Pluto since she left the park, but for reasons she didn't know, she was unable to get a hold of Pluto, or any other outer senshi either.

Finally getting frustrated, she tried to contact the queen herself. She relaxed her room and opened her communicator. Focusing on just the queen, she tried to establish communication. Finally after several tries, someone answered her call.

"Um...this is not the queen...is it?" Usagi asked when darkness stared back at the screen of her communicator. Then slowly, she was able to see blue eyes staring back at her. She gasped staring at those eyes. She'd recognize those eyes anywhere. She had waited to see those eyes for the past year and yet was unable to find them anywhere. But what was he doing answering the queen's communicator now?

Frowning, Usagi hesitantly uttered, "Mamoru?"

"Well, if it isn't my dear meatball head," Mamoru answered with a sinister laugh.

The voice sent goosebumps across Usagi's body. She thought she was happy to see him again, but the laugh made her hesitant in speaking with him.

"Usagi, are you back home?" Luna jumped on the roof, breaking Usagi concentration from her communicator.

Startled by Luna's appearance, Usagi let go of the communicator. It fell to the floor hard and broke into pieces, disconnecting the call.

"Something wrong with you? You seem like you've seen a ghost," Luna asked jumping onto Usagi's bed.

Usagi frowned and slowly sank down into a chair, "I just saw...Mamoru..." she whispered. While thoughts were racing in her mind, 'What should I do now? Mamoru is back. But I do like Touya now. However, in the future, Mamoru and I are supposed to have Chibi-Usa...oh, this is all so confusing.'

* * *

Once the gang reached the temple, Jupiter handed Diana to Rei gently. "She is in a bad shape. We're all hoping she can be revived soon, because we have some questions we need to ask her. It might very well save children the next time."

Rei placed Diana in a small basket with pillows as Mercury, Jupiter and Venus de-transformed. After caring for Diana's wounds, Rei looked past her friends to the strangers with a questioning look.

"Oh, these are the guys that kidnapped me," Ami answered.

"What!" Rei immediately took up a defensive position.

"They're not the bad guys. They thought we were responsible for whats happening to the kids and we thought they're responsible for whats happening to the kids. It was all a big misunderstanding. We now know neither of us are the bad guys. So there is someone else responsible for all this mess," Ami hurriedly explained before Rei could torch the guys.

As Rei calmed down Chibi-Usa opened her eyes and moaned in pain. All eyes turned to the patient, hoping she was lucid enough to speak.

"Can you hear me?" Rei sat down next Chibi-Usa's futon.

As if not noticing anyone else in the room, Chibi-Usa moaned again, "Mom...Mamoru...please don't!!! Don't do this!!!"

Chibi-Usa was reliving what had happened at her home and screaming out in pain and frustration, she fainted once again, leaving everyone in the room more confused than before.

"Who is she?" Yue asked stepping to take a closer look.

"Chibi-Usa. Heiress to the moon kingdom," Ami replied as Rei replaced the ice-packs.

"What! Why is she in such a condition? What is the queen's condition, if she is lying like this?" Eriol wondered out loud.

"We dare not ponder that question. We can't even communicate with her, because if she is taken prisoner, we don't want her captors to know our locations," Makoto answered.

Touya who had been quietly taking in everything sighed softly, "I really don't care about any queen or princess or heiress. I just want to know where Sakura is. Is that cat away yet?"

All eyes turned to Touya as if he was intruding. However, they all nodded in understanding.

"I know you must be anxious about Sakura," Li said sitting down next to Chibi-Usa, "but until Diana regains her consciousness, we can't say whats happening here."

"Then wake her up already," Touya demanded, a note of urgency in his voice, as if he knew deep inside, that he was too late to save his sister.

"Waking up Diana now would be too cruel. Her body can't handle that much pain. It really is a miracle that she survived as long as she did with all her previous injuries and the new injuries trying to stop the fight today," Mina said glancing at Diana.

Frustrated, Touya stormed out of the building and paced in the garden, hoping in his heart that he wasn't really too late to save Sakura.

* * *

A/N: There you go Chapter 16. As always do R&R. I'd love your feedback and comments and flames and whatnot. I'll see if I can get the next chapter up anytime soon.

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	17. Chapter 17: Princess Revealed

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A/N: Gomen gomen for taking such a long break again. Life happens and we can't stop it, can we. Hopefully, you guys will still like it. As I promised before, I won't let this story die!

elfwarrior87: I promise you she'll interact with everyone… its just taking longer than I expected!

MorenaEvensong: Touya not noticing Sakura's soul/spirit… I believe his powers might be slightly handicapped due to the shield around that park. I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far.

MoonBunny777: Thank you. And sorry for taking such a long time to post this chapter.

BlackLadyofEmptyness: I'm sorry for taking so long to write this chapter. Hopefully if you're still around, you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

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Usagi couldn't think properly through her confusion and panic. Mamoru was back. However, she didn't know what to make of the laughter she heard from him. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply she tried to make her brain think. Meanwhile Luna was sniffing around the broken communicator.

"We need to get this fixed," Luna said not having heard the whisper that left Usagi regarding Mamoru's return.

Luna's statement brought her senses back and Usagi was finally able to marginally think again. "Yes, I suppose we need to get it fixed."

Usagi knelt down and picked up the parts of the communicator. "Well, it looks like the battery fell out. Let's see if popping it back in will do anything."

Luna stared at Usagi with amazement as Usagi calmly put the battery back into the communicator's battery slot.

As Usagi turned on the communicator, she started checking out its functions. "That's a relief. Only the time compartment doesn't seem to be working. I'm sure Ami or Makoto or one of the other girls' can fix it. However, most important the communication channel is still in working condition."

Usagi looked up as Luna continued to stare at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just never expected to hear you speak so… rationally," Luna replied.

"Why don't you take it to Rei's and see if someone can fix it?" Usagi suggested

"You know, they wouldn't mind if you want to go yourself to visit them Usagi-chan," Luna said picking up the communicator with its mouth.

Usagi nodded, "True. I know they wouldn't mind. I'll definitely contact them directly pretty soon. But before that I need to confirm something first. I'll call them as soon as possible. Meanwhile, why don't you get that communicator fixed?"

Usagi's heart thudded in her ribcage at the thought of Mamoru. How was she going to face him again? What will she tell him? What has he got to say about his disappearance for a year?

Luna looked at Usagi for a minute and nodding she hopped off the windowsill and strolled down an alley in the direction of Rei's temple.

It was a week later and Usagi's communicator was still with Ami. Luna had brought back the news that Chibi-Usa and Diana were hurt. Usagi had panicked at the news.

"They're recovering fast. They drift in and out of consciousness, but their wounds are healing quickly. However, none of them can figure out what Chibi-Usa is babbling when she comes to," Luna told Usagi calmly.

Usagi sighed in relief, "That's good. So, they're not in immediate danger or anything… right?"

Luna shook her head, "I can't say that for sure. For all we know Chibi-Usa might have been targeted by the dark powers and that's how she ended up so wounded."

"What were the senshi doing letting her get hurt?"

"At this point, we don't know. The girls' tried to contact the Pluto, but the signal keeps getting distorted every time it goes through. They can't even get a hold of Neptune or Uranus," Luna informed Usagi.

She nodded thinking again, "You didn't mention Saturn."

"Well, from what we could gather from the distorted conversations with Pluto, Saturn has reverted back to being a baby again."

Usagi's eyes went wide, "Are you telling me Saturn used her ultimate attack on someone?"

Luna nodded her head.

"Does that mean… whoever is attacking us here, already wiped out the moon kingdom and its protectors?"

Luna was silent for a second, "They weren't able to eliminate everyone. We know Pluto is still alive. We just can't get through to the others yet. We can't assume the worst yet."

Usagi sighed closing her eyes. 'Should I contact others? Is Mamoru involved in all this? His face looked cold and cruel, as if he wasn't my Mamoru from a year ago. What can I do to stop this?'

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Touya and the others had left Rei's temple a week ago without getting any answers. Touya hadn't talked with Usagi since that night. The others' kept a wary distance from him. He was angry and frustrated at being unable to find any answers as to where his sister was. His father had gone to the police station and filled out a missing person's report immediately. However, even after a week, the Kinomoto's had no news about their precious girl.

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Chibi-Usa was finally recovering normally by the end of that week. Her wounds were closing up and her bruises were disappearing. Diana was also healing properly and the rest helped the healing process.

Luna came back to visit Rei's place at the end of the week. Ami, Mina and Makoto were already gathered there.

"Hi Luna," Mina greeted the cat.

"Hi Mina. Ami, were you able to fix the communicator?" Luna asked.

"Yes," Ami confirmed digging through her bag and bringing out Usagi's communicator.

"How are the kids?" Luna asked, as she strolled over to Diana and licking the kitten's head.

"You don't have to worry. Their nightmares seem to have subsided and they're getting healthy each day. I'm sure they'll wake up any minute now," Rei reassured Luna, petting the cat behind its ears.

"I hope you're right," Luna purred settling down next to Diana's basket.

"We've a bigger problem to worry about now that they're healing quickly," Makoto interrupted them.

All eyes turned to Makoto questioning her.

Makoto sighed, "The cycle is near. The full moon is tomorrow if it has slipped your mind."

The girl's nodded. "We know its tomorrow. However, now that all the directions are covered, I don't know where to look to," Mina said.

"I was thinking the dark powers will attack the center city next," Ami responded.

"Why the center city?" Rei asked.

"To be honest, it's a gut feeling. Also, even though the center city is filled with businesses, there are still a lot of families with children living there. Unless the dark powers look at a different city, I've a feeling its going to be the park at the center city tomorrow night," Ami shrugged.

"So far you haven't been wrong. We don't have any other leads regarding this new power anyway. We'll give it a try," Makoto nodded.

Luna stood up and looked at the girls', "Its time I got back. I'll take the communicator and the news back to Usagi."

The girls' bade their farewell to Luna as she jumped off the temple stairs.

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Eriol had called for a meeting again. When Li and Yue went to Eriol's place, they were invited in and offered tea. Eriol finally broke the silence that had been present since their arrival.

"Nakuru has more news for us," Eriol nodded towards Nakuru.

Li and Yue turned their attention to Nakuru.

Nakuru took a deep breath and began, "Well, I saw Touya and a girl in a sailor uniform run out of the Kinomoto residence two weeks ago. It was after the power cut in the city. I felt an evil shadow pass overhead and the power went out. I thought I'd check up on Touya since I was in the neighborhood anyway."

Li and Yue nodded, sipping the tea, letting Nakuru continue with her story.

"I kinda peeked through the kitchen window and saw them kiss," Nakuru muttered under her breath, "I was angry and wanted to barge in, but the door was locked and they seemed to have been frozen in time starting at each other. I don't know what passed between them, but they whispered something and ran upstairs. When they ran out the door a few minutes later, it was Touya but he wasn't with Usagi anymore. He was running out the door with a girl in a sailor uniform."

"Was this the same kind of uniform we saw on the senshi?" Yue asked Eriol.

"According to Nakuru's description of the uniform, yes," Eriol replied.

"Later I saw the girl turn back to Usagi. She didn't see me and I followed her, but Usagi just went back to her house," Nakuru said softly.

Li looked confused for a second, "Didn't you tell us that the queen sent back her child along with four protectors?"

"Yes," Yue replied.

"But according this, we have five senshi," Li said confusion clear on his face.

Eriol took a deep breath, pondering Li's statement, "It is possible that one of the senshi is the princess."

Yue nodded at the suggestion, "We can call one of the girls' and find out which one is the princess."

Eriol considered the suggestion, "We could. But we should also come up with some thoughts regarding tomorrow. Where do you guys think the attack will take place?"

As the other three thought about Eriol's question, Eriol's phone rang.

"Eriol speaking."

"Eriol-kun, this is Ami here."

"Ah, we were about to call you."

"You have something to ask us?"

"Yes. We just found out that there are five senshi in the city. However according to our information there is supposed to be one princess and four senshi."

"Oh. Well, technically there are only four senshi. You guys met us two weeks ago. Sailor Moon is actually the moon princess. She was actively involved in fighting the evil with us until last year."

"I see. Did you call to tell us something Ami?"

"Oh yes, we just had a meeting at Rei's temple. We decided that the next place might be the center city. There is no logic behind it, except for instinct here. Thought you guys might consider that and perhaps if you come up with a different place, let us know."

"Thank you Ami-chan. We'll call you if we come up with a different place. If not, it would be better if we go to the center city separately. It would be better to keep the park covered from all directions instead of grouping at one place."

"Ok." With that Ami hung up the phone and Eriol turned towards the others.

"According to Ami-chan, there are only four senshi. Sailor Moon is supposed to be the moon princess."

Li looked at Eriol, "So, we met the senshi last time, but not the princess."

"I believe the person Nakuru saw was the moon princess," Yue said calmly.

Nakuru's eyes went, "Usagi is the moon princess? That's so not fair… its not fair that I'm competing against a freaking princess."

Li, Yue and Eriol exchanged confused glances as Nakuru stormed out, stomping her feet.

Ignoring Nakuru's tantrum, Eriol explained Ami's hunch to the others.

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A/N: Please R&R. Comments are love!!

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